A Wishful Mistake
by Shifta Shi-Chan
Summary: A normal anime fan gets stressed with her life, and makes a wish. Sounds easy, right? ...A slightly more realistic look at self insertion. After a long wait, CHAPTER EIGHT IS UP! Hope you guys like it, so please read and send a review!
1. Wait, what?

**Disclaimer: I do not, and unfortunately will never own Ranma ½. The story, and characters all belong to a wonderful woman named Rumiko Takahashi. The only thing that I own would have to be myself, and hopefully some part of the plot used for this fan fiction.**

**...With the amount of fan fiction floating around the Internet these days, I highly doubt it.**

**Anyway, just to let you readers (that is, if anyone actually reads this..) know... This is the first chapter, and I'm sorry if it's kinda long... But that's better than it being too short, right?**

**Also, it's in first person. _Meaning: It's being told from my point of view._**

**This is only for the first chapter, though... So don't worry... Much.**

**For the next chapter (Which I've already started! Hah!) the story will be told in third person.**

**I just thought that it might be a neat idea to start off this way. ...Yes, I'm an idiot. I know.**

**...Are you sure that there's no possibility of me owning Ranma ½?**

**...No?**

**Well, damn.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Have you ever wished for something?

Honestly, take a moment to think about it. Have you ever just made a wish, without ever thinking of the consequences?

Next time you feel the sudden desire to make a wish, Stop.

Think.

I'm not joking. Think about what could happen if your wish ever came true. Thinking of the good should be easy, but try to concentrate on the bad. What could happen if your wish did not come out as planned? Or had some sort of unexpected flaw that you had accidentally overlooked?

For example, say... You decided to wish for a pet. ...Don't look at me like that. I'm pretty sure that everyone at some point in their life has wished for a pet.

Think about that pet. How would you care for it? Would you be able to spend time with it? Did you ever think of what you might have to give up in order to keep the pet? What about if it ever got sick, and/or, God forbid, actually die?

This is merely one of many examples, but I think that it's enough to get my point across.

Why do I rant on about this, you ask?

I do this because... sometimes I think back and wonder what could have happened if someone had taken the time to explain this to me. Something besides the age-old 'Be careful what you wish for' crap that people normally brush off.

'Why'?

...Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to tell you...

I was just sitting at the computer in the basement, surfing a few of my favorite anime sites. I had some random j-pop music playing in the background as I fiddled around, mindlessly humming along to the beat. ...All in all, I was bored, but content.

Of course, it couldn't possibly stay that way.

A sudden loud crash from upstairs made me break away from my happy boredom. I looked towards the staircase as I heard the door slam, and a multitude of loud voices trample through my kitchen and into the living room. I couldn't stop the slight twitch in my left eye as the noise increased, with various screams and explosions to be heard from the television in the living room.

I let my face fall into my hands as a loud groan escaped my lips. Why? Why did he always have to bring his idiotic little friends over?

I straightened myself, and then shouted towards the staircase at the top of my lungs. "ROBBIE!! DOES MOM EVEN KNOW THAT YOU HAVE FRIENDS OVER?"

I waited a few moments for a response before my brother opened the door, with two other boys looking over his shoulder. I could still hear the ruckus in the living room, so I knew that there had to be more.

My brother looked down at me, his face twisted into a smirk as his friends looked on. "I told Dad, he said that he didn't care!" I just stared at him blankly. Riiiight. Like I'm going to believe that. "Robbie, just how many people do you have over?"

He glared, "None of your business, bitch!" I gaped at him, "Excuse me? ..What did you just call me?"

"I called you a bitch!" He practically screamed, his snotty little friends laughing behind them.

I got up from the desk in a rage, placing my hands on my hips as a glared up at him. "ROBERT! WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!"

He stuck his tongue out at me, "Fuck you! I can say whatever I want!" He then proceeded to flip me off, laughing along with the brats upstairs.

I was steaming. "Robbie..." I managed to growl out, my nails biting into my palms. Why the hell did he insist on doing this whenever there was company in the house?! Little bastard probably thought it would make him look cool in front of his friends.

"Oooo! Look, she's getting mad now! Grrrrr!" He exclaimed, using his finger to make little horns at the side of his head. One of the boys behind him began to make snorting noises while the other started mooing.

I twitched slightly, but didn't lash out. "Whatcha gonna to do? Huh? Can't hurt me or you'll get in shit later!" He laughed at me for a few moments, then slammed the door.

I breathed in, and then released the breath after a few seconds. I trembled slightly as I kept holding my breath and releasing it. I sat back down at the computer, struggling to keep myself there. After all, I would have hell to pay if I followed my current desires.

Desires that included beating my 'adorable' little brother over the head with the dining room table and burying the bloody remains somewhere in the backyard.

Best to not be tempted.

I tried to re-focus my attention on the computer, hoping that I would be able to go kill something in one of the many online games that I played...

No such luck. Every single game... Was offline? How? I tried to wrap my brain around the sheer amount of bad luck that was required to have all of my games out of service at the exact same time. Fortunately, I was saved from puzzling over that little fact when I heard the phone ring.

Picking it up, I tried to assume a a cheerful voice. "Hello?"

"_Finally! Do you have any idea of how long I've been calling?!"_

"Eh?" I blinked. "Who is this?"

"_It's Nicole, you dumb ass! Get Mom on the phone, NOW!"_

I winced at the sheer volume coming out of the receiver, "What? Why?"

"_Because I'm down by the lake, and my... friend needs somewhere to spend the night!"_

"Nicole! What the hell are you doing down there, at this time of night?!"

"_None of your business! Now get Mom!"_

"Umm... Nicole, Mom's not even home..."

"_Well, where the fuck is she?"_

"I haven't seen her all day! How the hell should I know? Maybe she just went out, or something.."

"_Whatever. I'll just go somewhere else."_

"Wait, Nicole! Can you at least give me the cell number? If i don't have one, mom will--"

"_Just... Fuck off, okay?! Fat nosy whore." _

"What the fuck?! Nicole--"

Before I could even finish my sentence, the dial-tone rang in my ears. I slammed the phone down as a rather vicious growling noise came out from the back of my throat.

I tried to do the breathing again, but it didn't work to it's usual full effects. To make up for it, I let my forehead fall to the cool desk beneath it. The cold metal beneath my flushed skin more than made up for the slight pain that the impact caused. I breathed in, and then finally released it as I slowly calmed down. Peace. Tranquility. Peace...

A much louder crash from upstairs forced me to sigh and abandon my mini-mantra. I raised my head to look at the monitor in front of me with lazy half-lidded eyes. I scanned through a few fanfics, naming off my first impressions of them in my mind.

Mary Sue, Gary Stu, Stupid, Mary Sue, Oh-my-god-learn-how-to-type...

...Another Mary-Sue... Gah... So many...

I honestly didn't mind reading Mary Sues, as long as they were well written... But some of these... They're just too unrealistic!

...I mean really, _'I fall into their world and, like, totally become friends with everyone! Everyone loves my good looks and anyone who doesn't is just jealous, and I get all of these, like, awesomely convenient amazing and extremely overpowered super powers without doing anything to actually earn them! Like, ohmygosh, I find my true love and he, like, automatically loves me! We move into a fairy castle and then--' _

Okay, thats more than enough. God, I think I just gave myself a cavity...

Though, I had to admit. I really wouldn't mind it so much if it was actually happening to me. Well, besides the whole ruining-characters-lives thing, or the whole idea of having to be _perfect_.

...It would actually be kinda cool to be able to magically change my clothes into whatever I wanted...

Much to the shock of many at school, I was actually very good with clothing design. I even had a small book that I usually use to quickly sketch new ideas whenever they came to me.

I couldn't help but think about my very, very tiny wardrobe at that moment. To be completely honest, it didn't even count as a wardrobe. Nothing more than a few pairs of pants and t-shirts. Some of the pants were so worn out, that I had to be careful to not accidentally embarrass myself in public.

I brightened up a little at the realization that my birthday would be coming up soon, but then frowned. Yay. More t-shirts, and random articles of ugly clothing that are an attempt to make me look skinny.

Oh, the absolute joy.

I continued along this path of thought, before giving up. Depressing over things never helped.

My eyes strayed over to my little sketchbook, and before I knew it I was flipping through the pages. I could try to come up with something new... It might help me cheer up.

My thoughts were abruptly halted by yet another loud crash from upstairs. I couldn't help but let out a groan as I leaned back into the chair, glaring at the ceiling.

Why did I have to put up with all of this, anyway?

I slowly closed my eyes and tried my best to blank the noise out. I've been so stressed lately... All over what some people might call nothing. It was kind of silly, I guess.

But I just can't take it anymore.

The warm family moments that we had, while enjoyable, were few and... quite far in between. I just didn't understand my family at times. Sure.. I loved them. They were my family, after all... But sometimes, it just feels like I'm a burden. A really big, fat burden that no one should have to carry.

I sighed softly, a small frown forming on my face.

_I wish..._

_I wish that I could just... get away for a while._

_So my family wouldn't have to deal with my moods._

_So I could stop all of these nasty feelings about them._

_So that I can take the time to really appreciate the few, yet wonderful things that we do together._

_Somewhere that I could help people._

_Somewhere that I could be myself._

* * *

A loud beep suddenly made me open my eyes wide, and with a rather undignified squeal I flipped completely out of my chair. I ended up landing in an extremely painful position but I managed to slowly get back into the chair and shake my head in an attempt to clear it before looking around. 

The basement light had been turned off, and the door leading upstairs was tightly closed... I suddenly realized in utter joy, and slight suspicion, that there wasn't any noise. I immediately checked the glowing screen in front of me, and blinked at the elapsed time.

It was exactly midnight.

I glazed at the computer monitor, raising an eyebrow in utter confusion. Since when was I ever on MSN? I barely even used the stupid thing anymore... I glanced down to the one minimized chat window.

Slightly curious, I clicked on the little window. Who the heck would want to chat with me at this time of night? I couldn't help but squint at the unfamiliar letters that made up the persons name. Was that supposed to be Japanese, or something?

I paused for a moment before typing in 'Hello? Who is this?' in the chat box and hitting enter. Glancing towards the bottom of the chat window, I saw that whoever this was supposed to be was currently writing a message.

"_'Congratulations! Have a nice trip!'_ ...What the hell?" I blinked and stared at the screen in front of me in a rather stupid manner. "Did I accidentally sign up for something?"

Unfortunately, I didn't had the time to ponder on this, as something seemed to have reached out from the computer monitor and decided that it would be a fabulous idea to grab the front of my t-shirt.

...Wait, what?

I looked down to see a pair of beautiful, well manicured hands covered in glittering jewelry holding the front and collar of my shirt. I jerked and grabbed the hands, struggling in an attempt remove them from my person.

I heard the door slam open from upstairs and tried to scream, but I had been pulled through the monitor before I could even open my mouth.

* * *

I gotta say... No matter your upbringing, no one likes to wake up on hard pavement. _No one._

I groaned and slowly sat up, cradling my head in my hands. After taking a few moments to gather all of my senses, I shakily stood up and looked around. In the darkness ahead of me I could see a jungle gym and swing set, as well as a small fountain. There was also a rather large group of trees with a few benches and lampposts scattered randomly throughout the small dirt pathway that circled the entire area.

I was in... A park?

I slowly walked over to a nearby bench and tried to make myself a little more comfortable. My hands were shaking, but something was definitely pressing into my palm. I loosened my grip and brought my hand closer to my face, my eyes squinting as I tried to see what I had been hanging onto so desperately in the darkness.

My eyes widened as I recognized it as one of the rings from... whatever it was that had grabbed me. It looked to be made of some kind of clear white crystal that practically glowed with it's own light. I stared at it in utter awe for a few moments, as I had never seen a piece of jewelry that could ever come close to it's beauty.

I honestly couldn't help myself as I slid it onto the middle finger of my right hand.

Surprisingly, nothing supernatural, or anything of the sort happened... And I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Oh well... At least it was pretty.

It was then that I noticed something rather frightening.

With the dim lighting, my hands looked... Unnatural. I quickly stood up and moved closer to the light from the lamppost, keeping my hands near my face as I examined them. They were completely smooth. No natural creases, no palm lines, no tiny freckles... As I peered even closer, I could see the faint black line that seemed to outline my hands.

With a sudden flash of panic I rushed over to the fountain, leaning down so close to the water that my face was almost touching it.

_My... Face..._

I stared in shock and ran my still unnatural looking hand against my now equally unnatural looking face. I knew I was still me, but... Not completely.

My entire body seemed to be thinly outlined in black, with my heavy-lidded light blue eyes looking almost exaggerated with the thicker outline of black around them. ...I'm also guessing that the few curved lines that were sprouting off of my eyes were supposed to be my eyelashes. I also sported my usual two tiny beauty marks beside my left eye.

Other than that, my face looked rather under detailed and almost painfully... blank. Where were my tiny imperfections? My little scars from all the times that I had gotten chicken pox as a child? Heck, at this point I would have been happy to see _ACNE_.

Though, I guess most anime characters didn't really have to worry about that...

I tilted my chin up, and couldn't help but grin at the rather... ugly but barely noticeable scar under my chin. At least that one hadn't disappeared. I've had that scar for most of my life, ever since I had fallen into the pool and cracked my jaw off the bottom as a toddler. It would just feel weird if I didn't have it.

Feeling slightly reassured, I moved away from the fountain a little so that I could see more of myself. I began to make a mental list of what I first noticed.

_"Number One: I obviously seem to be some sort of... Anime character version of myself._

_Number Two: My dyed blond hair doesn't appear to have any roots. That's a good thing. I highly doubt that I can even afford hair dye. Oh well, looks like this is now my 'natural' hair color._

_Number Three: My body hasn't really altered at all. Who said fat chicks can't look good?_

_Number Four: ..."_

I cut my mental list short as I gazed at what I was wearing. An old white t-shirt with a newly ripped collar as well as my comfy pair of white and blue checkered shorts. Not to mention the fact that I was barefoot.

I slapped my palm to my face and groaned, wishing that there was some way for me to change my clothes into something a little bit more suitable. The ring on my middle finger glowed, and I let out a startled shriek as my clothes _shifted _around me. I blinked and gazed blankly at my reflection for a moment, only to have my face light up with a huge smile a few seconds later.

I was now wearing a simple pair of black pants and a matching mini jacket, with a white tank top underneath it. Still smiling, I thought up a pair of heeled boots and a few silver bracelets to go with it.

Mary Sue-ish power or not, that was fucking _AWESOME._

With a little twirl, I confidently walked away from the fountain and down the pathway.

* * *

The sun had already come up, and I was still wandering the streets of this strange city. After looking at all of the signs, and then realizing that I didn't have a chance in hell of reading them, I guessed that I was somewhere in either China or Japan. 

I didn't pay much attention to the people walking all around me, as they seemed to either stare at me strangely or completely ignore my presence. I'm a little sad to say that ignoring me is a rather hard thing to do. After all, I'm guessing that these people weren't used to seeing a woman of my size, who obviously lacked any kind of Asian heritage.

After a while of wandering I decided to enter one of the many shops. I made my way to the rather elderly looking man at the counter, hoping that he might have some kind of experience with English-speaking tourists.

"Um... Excuse me?"

The man looked up from the magazine he was reading, "Yes? How may I help you?"

With his rather indifferent gaze, I couldn't help but smile nervously. "Could you possibly... Tell me where I am?"

He stared at me blankly. "You're kidding, right?"

I shook my head. "Unfortunately, no."

"You're in Nerima." He glanced over me curiously.

"J-japan?"

"How could you not know you were in Japan, when you're speaking such excellent Japanese?"

At this, I couldn't help but gape in shock. The storekeeper was looking at me in an odd fashion, and after a moment or two he started waving his hand in front of my shocked face.

"Are you alright?" He resorted to snapping his fingers to finally bring me back into focus.

I was feeling a huge mix of emotions at that moment, making me feel like I couldn't breathe.

_Could I really be..?_

Clearing my throat as casually as I could, I smiled and asked what the year was. He gave me the same strange look from earlier before pointing to the small calendar beside him. I squinted at it, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't read it.

I looked back to the storekeeper and shrugged, an embarrassed smile forming on my face. He had gone back to reading his magazine and looked up when I turned towards him. "Well? What do you want?"

"Um... I can't read it."

The old man sighed and glanced at the calendar, "It's August 14, 1987" He gave me a blank, uncaring stare. "Will that be all, or are you actually going to _buy_ something?"

I chuckled nervously, "Um.. No thanks, I'm good. ...Thank you for your help...?" With that, I turned and rushed out of there as fast as my heeled boots could carry me.

Before I had walked out the door, I saw a younger man come out the back door. "What was that about, Grandfather?" I heard a snort and the old man grumbling to himself. "Just some damn foreigner. Couldn't even read. I swear, they get stupider every..." The door closed before I could hear the rest of what was obviously turning into a rather racist conversation.

After glaring back at the man through the store window, I stalked off.

* * *

The storekeeper's words made my ears burn for the next few hours. I wasn't _that_ much out of place... 

...Or was I?

My last few attempts at using the ring to wish up something else useful, like say... money, were complete failures. I grumbled a little about it, but... I guess it couldn't be helped.

Maybe this was a way for me to become more independent?

By this time, I had made it back to the park and slumped into the nearest bench. Well, so far this had been just _peachy. _I dropped my head into my hands as I tried to recall some of the facts.

Well... I have no money, that's for sure.

I haven't even been _BORN _yet, so that means that I have no form of identification whatsoever.

I'm an anime character and apparently in Nerima, of all possible places.

I don't know any sort of martial arts, or fighting techniques... Which means that if I accidentally say something offensive to one of the martial artists here, I'm probably going to get the shit knocked out of me.

...Unless they decide to not hurt me because I'm a girl.

I can change my clothes at will... Which is still pretty kick ass, even though it sounds stupid and Mary Sue-ish.

There seems to be no possible language barrier. I hear everything in English, even though people say that they are talking in Japanese.

Problem is, I can't read anything but English.

I can't even get a real JOB. There are some pretty fucked up people here. Yes, I'm not Japanese. Yes, I can apparently speak the language. Nope, can't read a damn thing.

'Sorry, no positions are available', my fat white ass.

I'm also ...alone, I guess. This is the first time that I actually noticed...

I miss my friends.

...I want my mom.

After a few more moments, I made myself a little more comfortable on the bench. I gazed up into the surprisingly clear sky, silently hoping that I would have the answer to all of my problems fall from the stars and straight into my lap. I sighed again, letting my eyelids droop as sleep began to slowly creep up on me.

"What am I going to do..?"

* * *

**Well, what did you think? **

**Good?**

**Bad?**

**Holy-shit-learn-how-to-freaking-type?**

**Review and tell me!**

**Shifta Shi-Chan(aka Ashley)**

**xoxoxo**


	2. Sugar free Cookies!

**Disclaimer: I do not, and unfortunately will never own Ranma ½. The story, and characters all belong to a wonderful woman named Rumiko Takahashi. The only thing that I own would have to be myself, and hopefully some part of the plot used for this fan fiction. ...I don't own The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is briefly mentioned in this chapter. I also don't own the rights to sugar-free cookies. ...Do cookies even have rights?**

**Hmmm... 200 hits but only 5 reviews so far? **

**Oh well, at least people are actually taking a look... Plus, it's not too shabby. After all, the first chapter has only been up for a day or two.**

**(I'd still really love to see some more reviews though.)**

**...Are you sure that there's no possibility of me owning Ranma ½?**

**...No?**

**Well, damn.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

It was a lovely day in the Nerima ward. The sun was shining, the birds were singing... 

"Pervert!! _Get Him_!!"

...And it looks like Happosai has just started his daily rounds.

The martial arts master held his captives tightly, a wide grin plastered across his face. _'New treasures... Oh, my little beauties..._' With that thought firmly planted in his mind, he yelled out his battle cry.

"What a haul!! What a haul!!" Then he jumped to the rooftops, the angry mob of women hot on his trail.

All in all, it was a perfectly normal start to an average day in Nerima.

* * *

A young blond woman looked up as both the perverted master and the usual mob of righteous feminine fury ran past her in the park. She watched it with a little smile before looking back down to the sketch pad in her lap. The chase always seemed to give her a little bit of a boost in the morning. She chuckled to herself a little as she thought of the drawing that Happosai would be coming back to collect from her later. 

Her main source of money was rather simple, as it was just using her ring to wish up random jewelry for her to sell. The only problem with it was that most people didn't feel comfortable buying jewelry from some random foreign girl on the street, and as a last resort she had to try selling them to various antique shops. Who, while still suspicious of her, would at least buy them for a decent amount.

It was also crazy how much money you could make by drawing slightly perverted pictures in Nerima. She was definitely glad about that little fact, otherwise she really would have been in a whole lot of financial trouble.

She was actually very glad that Happosai was currently around, even if it sounded a little weird for a girl to say. It was a complete stroke of luck that she had met him. After all, if she hadn't...

...She really didn't want to think about what could have happened.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Happosai, also known as 'Happy', was not some kind of evil monster. 

He was a pervert, of course. There's no possible way of denying that rather obvious fact.

...But that doesn't immediately turn him into some kind of horrible heartless beast.

Deep down, if you look past all of the perversion, deceit, and thievery...

He was an excellent (though, maybe a little cruel and sadistic) teacher.

He was also the Grandmaster of an entire school of Martial Arts.

He actually does his duty as a marital artist, protecting civilians from life-threatening dangers. (As long as they didn't piss him off in the first place, of course.)

...Don't look at me like that, I'm just the Narrator.

What, you still don't believe me?! ...I'll admit that it does sound a little odd...

...Fine. I'll show you.

* * *

_**Flashback: A few days ago**_

* * *

The same blond woman from earlier could be seen exiting a rather trashy looking antique shop, a huge smile lighting up her face. She turned to give a cheerful wave to the shopkeeper before allowing the door to close and then began walking down the street. She closed the wallet in her hand, dropped it down the front of her shirt for safekeeping. You could never be too careful around some of the pickpockets in this city. 

Things had really started looking up for her. She had gotten lost and ended up walking into that particular store to ask for directions. Who would've thought that they would be interested in some random jewelry and accessories that she had thought up? Five sets of one design had been bought off her for a somewhat decent price!

With this kind of money, she wouldn't be forced to shoplift from any of those cheap little stores anymore. Yes, shoplifting. How else was she going to get what she needed? A few fruits, a mini hairbrush, and a small tube of chap stick wouldn't be missed by those racist shopkeepers. They deserved it, and could go off and rot somewhere for all that she cared.

Besides, she really wasn't the type of person who would sit on the side of the street and beg. She wasn't some poor beggar, and she definitely didn't look like it. It was all thanks to her beloved little magical ring. The whole shape shifting clothes thing actually turned out to be more useful than she had originally thought.

She did a small happy twirl before walking down the semi-deserted dark streets, unaware of the eyes on her. Or, more specifically, where she had placed her wallet.

* * *

Meanwhile, our perverted little martial arts master was busy cuddling one of his newest treasures to himself. He was alone on a peaceful rooftop basking in the company of various undergarments, his 'silky darlings' as he so lovingly called them. 

Unfortunately, Happosai's precious little moment was shattered as a scream suddenly tore through the night. He growled to himself, immediately thinking that the original owners of his darlings had caught up to him... Before he noticed just how frightened the scream had sounded. In a split second decision he quickly stashed his beauties away, and jumped across the next few rooftops.

'_A Martial Artist's life is always filled with peril._' he couldn't help but think to himself as he heard a considerably louder feminine scream from somewhere nearby. He stopped and looked down from his perch on the edge of the rooftop, and glared at what he saw.

There was a rather large young woman struggling to break free from two obviously stronger and much older men. One had a knife to her neck and a secure hold on the hands that were twisted behind her back, while the other had just shoved his hand down her blouse.

Happosai was livid. Sure, he was a liar, and a thief. He would grope a few girls and maybe steal a spare pantie or two, but at least he never actually threaten their lives! If he did, then there would be less panties for him to steal in the future!

He silently jumped down from rooftop.

...Needless to say, those thugs were down before they even knew what hit 'em.

* * *

_**End Flashback**_

* * *

To cut the story short, they had decided on a mutually beneficial deal. He didn't steal her belongings and would protect her when she needed it, as long as she drew him a few perverted little pictures. It wasn't all that hard, really. 

Both her, and some of her friends were known to have a bit of a perverted streak, so at least she had a bit of experience with drawing. In her opinion, she did not draw pornography. It was merely a collection of semi-nude pictures, drawn in slightly provocative though artistic poses.

The blond smiled to herself as she finished the shading on her latest drawing. "Perfect. He'll really like this one." A sudden tap on her shoulder made her jump up and shriek in surprise. She stared blankly at the tiny old man who now occupied her seat on the bench, before finally smiling at him. "Hello, Master Happosai."

He looked up at her with a small perverted grin, "Why, hello! Have you got anything new for me?"

She merely sighed before carefully ripping it out of her sketchbook and handing it over to him. She did get a small bit of satisfaction when his grin got even wider. '_At least the paper wasn't wasted._'

He rolled up the picture and tucked it into his shirt, and then pulled out a rather lacy piece of lingerie. "Do you think that you could include this next time?" His eyes looked wide and hopeful.

The blond looked the garment over for a second before sighing again and nodding her head. "Sure thing, Master Happosai. I'll try to have it done for tomorrow, okay?"

The little old man's face lit up, "That'll do, that'll do!" He chirped, before turning and leaping away. "See you tomorrow, Ashley!"

The young woman waved at his vanishing figure for a moment before walking behind the bench and into one of the much larger groups of trees. 'It's like a miniature forest, I guess.' She thought, as she finally came up to her tent. It wasn't as big as what she had initially wanted, but it was currently her home.

'Just a little while longer, and I'll have enough money to rent a cheap apartment.' She went inside and came out with a large black messenger's bag, carefully shifting through it's contents. After a minute or two of searching, she finally pulled out a small blue hairbrush, and quickly ran the brush through her slightly greasy hair with a grimace.

She hadn't been able to properly wash herself since she had arrived, and it was starting to show a little. She didn't smell bad, but her hair was getting dirty. By now, she definitely had enough money for the public bathhouse... But there was no way in hell that she was actually going in there.

'Japanese people are a little weird sometimes...' She couldn't help thinking to herself. It definitely wasn't a racist thought, just her opinion. She really didn't understand how the heck people could be comfortable bathing with strangers.

It had been embarrassing enough to have to get changed in front of the other girls in gym class, and she had no intention of ever doing it again. As much as she wanted a bath, she wasn't about to get naked in front of random people that she didn't even know.

She finished brushing her hair, and quickly shifted her shirt into a black hoodie with a pink skull pattern. 'I guess I'll go rinse my hair in the water fountain when it gets dark... Again.' With that thought she drew the hood over her head, hoping to hide the majority of her hair. She shoved the hairbrush into her bag and pulled out a city map. After a few moments of reading the map, she put the bag's strap over her shoulder and decided to set off.

* * *

So far, Ashley had been rather lucky. Since her unexpected arrival into this world she had managed to spot the Amazons, Ukyo who had been busy cooking okonomiaki in her shop, and had almost run directly into Ryoga twice.

During those encounters, she had been smart enough to remain in the background and avoid their notice. She really didn't want to get too involved with them yet, as she was still trying to figure out the exact point in the storyline that she had fallen into.

Currently however, she was watching the eldest Tendo daughter happily do her shopping.

Thankfully, price tags and brand names were the first things that she had learned to read decently, but her limited knowledge had come after a few hard games of trial and error. It had been rather embarrassing when she had gone out to buy some Advil, and had accidentally brought home a bottle of Viagra instead... No wonder the woman behind the counter had been looking at her funny.

...It definitely hadn't been a mistake that she wanted to repeat.

Her small stash of food probably needed refilling... Who knows, maybe Kasumi would be able to help her with some of the harder words that were still giving her trouble. Knowing Kasumi's kind nature, she was suddenly filled with hope. '_At least I know that she won't mutter nasty things about me under her breath..._'

Kasumi hummed cheerfully to herself as she checked her shopping list, she was almost done and had plenty of time left before she had to get home and start preparing dinner. The Saotomes had cleaned out the refrigerator again, the second time this month. She was really going to have to hint to her father to at least ask Mr. Saotome to pay for half of the food bill...

She was suddenly startled out of her thoughts by a gentle tap on her shoulder. Kasumi turned to see a foreign young woman in a skull-patterned hooded sweatshirt, who was looking at her with a bright smile that definitely didn't match the way that she dressed. "Um... Excuse me, Miss?"

Kasumi tilted her head to the side, "Yes?"

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you... But... Would you mind sparing a moment to help me?"

She blinked at the polite young woman, "With what, may I ask?"

At this the girl looked embarrassed, a slight flush coming to her cheeks. "Well... I can't really read what one of these signs say. Could you please tell me what they are advertising?"

The eldest Tendo smiled kindly and nodded, and after she was led to the sign she took a little extra time to point to each word as she said it. "Sugar-free cookies on sale for half-price." She turned back to the girl still smiling. "Is that all you needed?"

Ashley was looking at the advertisement with little stars in her eyes. Cookies that she could eat! _Yes_! She eagerly grabbed a few packages of the cookies before turning to Kasumi and giving her a slightly clumsy bow, a huge smile lighting up her face. "Oh, thank you so much!"

Kasumi couldn't help but giggle, "Oh my, you're certainly welcome!"

The blond happily started walking towards the checkout counter, before pausing and rushing back to Kasumi with an embarrassed face. "Oh! Sorry... My name is Ashley-marie, I've only recently arrived in Japan... I'm so sorry for taking up your shopping time with my silly question..."

"My name is Kasumi Tendo, and it honestly wasn't any trouble at all. Welcome to Japan!" She gave the younger girl both a perfect bow and smile.

"It was nice to meet you, Kasumi! I'll see you around, okay?" With that, Ashley waved and started walking to the checkout again.

After waving back to the departing girl, Kasumi went back to her shopping a glowing smile on her face. '_Such a nice girl..._' On a random urge, she grabbed a small package of the sugar-free cookies. With the kind of reaction that the blond had given, they _had_ to be worth trying.

* * *

'_Well, that went along smoothly..._' Ashley cheerfully thought to herself, as she walked down the street an few minutes later. She gazed lovingly at the shopping bag in her hand. '_Sugar-free cookies..._' 

They had been a major bonus. She could get some regular food later, when her stash completely ran out. For now... Cookies would do.

Anyway, the first meeting with Kasumi had definitely gone well. Kasumi had always been her favorite out of the Tendo sisters, and just being able to actually meet her had given her a warm happy feeling as well as a semi-permanent smile on her face.

She stopped at the street corner and opened up the city map, happily humming, and occasionally singing a few parts of the beginning song from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' as she scanned through her current area. "_This is Halloween, this is Halloween..._"

She was still reading the map as she started crossing the street, making sure to look both ways every so often. That didn't prepare her for when she suddenly tripped over something, causing her shopping bag to dump one of the packages of cookies onto the street. She glared down at what ever had _dared_ to harm her precious cookies, only stop and stare blankly.

She had tripped over... A duck?

The duck was wandering around quacking and flapping it's wings at thin air. It also had ...glasses perched on it's head? She blinked, she only knew one duck who was capable of wearing glasses.

She reached down and picked it up, and then continued her way to the other side of the street despite the duck's fierce struggling and quacks of anger.

Once she was safely across the street, she crouched and fixed the ducks glasses before gently placing it back on the much safer ground. "There, is that any better?"

The little duck seemed to stare at her for a second before quacking and bobbing it's head in what could only be described as a thank you. She couldn't stop the smile from forming her face. After all, it wasn't everyday that you were genuinely thanked by a little duck.

A sudden loud crunching noise made her look back to the road in shock and horror. _Some bastard had_ _just_ _run over her __cookies_!

The duck followed her line of vision, and quite visibly gulped as it observed the crushed cookie package. It was in the exact same spot that he had been wandering around with his glasses off... It certainly didn't take a genius to figure out what could have happened to him.

He turned to look back up at the large blond woman who had apparently rescued him, only to see her staring sadly at the cookie remains that were now scattered all over the road. She got up from her crouching position with a sigh and finally turned to offer him a smile.

"Be careful, okay?"

Mousse just nodded as he watched her walk away. '_Well... You don't see that everyday._'

* * *

**Yes, I do have a complete and utter obsession with sugar-free cookies, so... They were included in this chapter! Yay! **

**...Don't look at me like that. They're good. ...Really!**

**Anyway, sorry about it not being as long as the last chapter...**

**The next one will be longer though, I promise!**

**What did you think of it, anyway? **

**Good? **

**Bad? **

**Holy-shit-learn-how-to-freaking-type?**

**Review and tell me! **

**Luv,**

**Shifta Shi-Chan(aka Ashley)**

**xoxoxo**

**(P.S. If anyone's still confused about my appearance, I've posted a pic of myself on my profile. Hopefully it'll keep me from writing out detailed blurbs on what I look like.)**


	3. Flying on Mallet Airlines

**Disclaimer: I do not, and unfortunately will never own Ranma ½. The story, and characters all belong to a wonderful woman named Rumiko Takahashi. The only thing that I own would have to be myself, and hopefully some part of the plot used for this fan fiction. **

**...With the amount of fan fiction floating around the Internet these days, I highly doubt it.**

**Here's a little extra note: I personally dislike Akane. Not because she's one of main characters, or because she apparently 'gets Ranma'. I just really don't like her attitude, and her supposed 'righteous fury' towards Ranma whenever she jumps to the conclusion that he's a pervert. She's spoiled rotten, and never really has to pay for her overreactions. **

**In my opinion, I don't think that Ranma would appreciate being treated like that. Even if he did like her, what sort of relationship would they truly be able to build? If he doesn't hate her, then he would at least be sarcastic towards her. (Even if it was only in his head)**

**With that said, I will do my best to not out right bash her in this fanfic.**

**...Are you sure that there's no possibility of me owning Ranma ½?**

**...No?**

**Well, damn.**

* * *

Ashley was whistling a random little tune as she circled her 'home', peering closely at the seams of the rather small tent. After a few more minutes of circling the entire tent and carefully checking the rainfly, she nodded to herself. '_This should hold up okay... I hope._' With that thought, she attempted to drive the picks further into the ground with her foot.

After checking the tent once more, she looked up to the sky. The sky had already gotten slightly darker, but she had a feeling that the storm was still a while away. '_This'll be my first night in the tent during a storm..._' She couldn't help thinking, a nervous grin creeping up on her face. If the tent wasn't able to stand up to it... She would be royally screwed.

Unfortunately, the apartment that she had been saving up for had already been rented. That idiot manager had _known_ that she would be coming with the money soon, but had decided to ignore her in favor of someone else. She snorted, '_Well, whatever. That dump didn't even have a decent shower..._'

Now, she had her sights set on an entirely different apartment complex. It would be a little bit more expensive than the other one, but she now had a signed form and had already payed half of the total cost for the apartment. On the plus side, this one came with a nice shower and bath set, as well as tiny kitchen.

She zipped up the tent and picked up the new water-proofed bag that she had wished up earlier. '_At least I won't have to worry about my wallet and art supplies getting wet._' She looked a little happier after that thought, and then proceeded to begin the trek out of the miniature forest.

She had barely reached the edge of the tree line when she suddenly looked up. What the hell was that infernal whistling noise? As she squinted at the sky, she could see a faint black shape falling from an extreme height. Her eyes widened when she began to recognize the falling figure, who seemed to be unconscious.

She winced at the figure's sudden harsh impact with one of the taller trees, and gasped as she saw him slowly slip from the top branch. Watching him hit almost every single branch on the way down was rather painful to watch. Not knowing what else to do, she ran to the bottom of the tree.

Ranma Saotome, heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling, wavered back into consciousness just in time to see the blond woman below him. He felt himself fall onto something soft and squishy, and then knew no more.

* * *

Ashley looked at Ranma with worry as she put another band aid over one of the larger cuts. After catching/getting squished by him, she had carried him over to the nearest bench and tried her best to fix up some of the smaller injuries. She opened one of the water bottles in her bag, and tried wiping some of the dirt that covered his face and arms, accidentally splashing him with the water.

Needless to say, she had been amazed at his transformation. It was one thing to see it from home, but to actually witness the almost instant gender change... It was freaking _awesome_.

Not that she would ever say that out loud, of course.

She looked down to her currently female 'patient' with a small sigh. She had tried, but her limited first-aid knowledge was pretty useless. Besides he... um... she didn't really seem to be hurt too badly. Just a few scrapes, and a small cut or two on her face and arms. Ashley couldn't believe that he could fall from an undetermined height, and then smash his way down an entire tree, with out even breaking one of his limbs... Or at least without giving himself a concussion.

She finally covered the last scrape with one of her larger bandages, and made sure to put all of the wrappers from the band-aids into the nearest garbage can. Dusting her hands off, she decided to sit on the ground beside the bench. '_Well, I guess that I'll just have to wait here..._'

* * *

Ranma had been having a normal day. The usual bucket of water to the face in the morning, and the following spar with his father. Rushing through breakfast, and then walking to school with Akane. Kick the crap out of Kuno in the school yard, and then walk in late for class...

A perfectly normal morning.

...Well, for him that is.

Shampoo _had_ surprised him after school, running him over with her demonic bicycle in greeting. Of course, this had caused Akane to freak out a little earlier than usual. This resulted in him getting an unexpected free ticket on _Mallet Airlines_, which always gave him a chance to enjoy the view of Nerima from a lower earth orbit perspective.

...Well it would have, if not for Akane being a whole lot angrier at him than usual. Her boosted 'righteous anger' had actually managed to knock him unconscious. Maybe he had been breathing too close to her again? After all, almost everything that he ever did was perverted.

...At least according to the youngest Tendo.

He honestly couldn't remember the flight, but he did briefly remember landing on something that had thankfully cushioned him from the ground. '_Damn... That really would have sucked._' With these thoughts in mind, he slowly began to regain consciousness.

The first thing that he noticed was that he was laying down on something far more comfortable than the ground. He groaned, the light from sun was really irritating him. He heard a feminine gasp and a small bit of movement before opening his eyes in surprise. He bolted up, and immediately slipped into a defensive stance.

There was a slow whistle, "My, that _was_ impressive."

He turned and blinked stupidly at the woman standing behind him. "Um..."

The large blond grinned cheekily at him, "Nice to see that you're finally awake."

It was then that Ranma noticed his slightly damp clothes, and his... her breasts. "I-I..."

Ashley actually blushed as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder, "That would be my fault. I was just trying to clean you up a little so that I could get the band-aids to stick properly..."

Ranma then noticed the various band-aids of different sizes and colors covering the few scrapes on his arms. "You... saw?" At the girls nod, he couldn't help but twitch. "Well? ...Aren't you going to say something?"

The blond blinked at him and tilted her head to the side. "About what?"

'_M-maybe she didn't see it..._' The redhead smiled, looking hopeful.

Ashley saw the sudden change of emotions on Ranma's face, and couldn't help but sigh. "Please, don't even bother pretending to be a girl. I saw you change... Quite frankly, I'm not so sure why you're expecting me to freak out."

Ranma looked over at her, eyes wide. '_She... really doesn't care?_'

She sat on the bench, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "I'm Ashley-marie, sorry about this."

The redhead blinked and slowly sat down beside her. "Uh... Ranma Saotome."

Ashley turned towards the pigtailed martial artist with a small grin, "Well? Are you just going to leave me in the dark about this?"

Ranma sighed and leaned back against the bench, "...Do you really want to know?"

"Well... It's not like I have anywhere to go tonight..." She shrugged, the grin never leaving her face.

Ranma looked her over suspiciously a few times before sighing and giving in. "Ever heard of a place called Jusenkyo?"

* * *

Ashley was trembling.

Not with fear, but with _rage_.

Ranma had taken quite easily to his explanation, and after going through the standard story he had decided to tell her a little bit more about his everyday life. Within the span of a few hours, he had come very close to telling her his life story. ...Not that she didn't already know it, of course.

She couldn't help but smile quietly to herself, '_I guess he just really needed someone to actually talk to._' She had stayed almost completely silent during Ranma's little summary of his life, only nodding to let him know that she was still listening.

It wasn't the same as watching it on a television set. It wasn't the same as reading it in a book... She couldn't really find any humor in most of the things that Ranma had told her... The exact same things that she would have been giggling over if she had been at home.

Hearing Ranma's voice as he described what it had felt like when he had first fallen into the spring...

Listening to him as he told her about what he had to put up with in his everyday life...

It just... wasn't funny anymore.

She slowly clenched and unclenched her fists as she thought of Genma. '_The lazy-ass bastard..._' Of course, Ranma had left out the everyone's names, as well as the Neko-ken training... But that didn't mean that she couldn't fill in the blanks. She took a deep breath, and then slowly released it. It wouldn't do any good to lose her temper in front of Ranma.

Ranma had leaned back towards the back of the bench again, completely at a loss of what to do. First, this nice girl tries to save him. She does all that she could at the time to help him in his unconscious state... She finds out about his curse and doesn't feel uncomfortable around him, or decide to call him a pervert..?

He didn't know what it was... One moment he's giving her the basic Jusenkyo story, and before he had realized it he had told her... almost everything. He had never talked that much... to anyone. '_Maybe she used some kind of special manipulation technique?_'

After seriously looking her over, he couldn't see anything that would qualify her as a martial artist. "She obviously doesn't train..." He jumped up from the bench, his hands covering his mouth. '_Oh crap. Did I say that out loud?_'

"You're right Ranma, I don't train. ...I'm sorry to say that I can't even throw a decent punch."

He blinked at her casual answer. "Aren't you mad at me for saying that?"

She smiled in an easy going manner, "C'mon Ranma. Honestly, do I _look_ like a martial artist?"

"Well, no... It's just that..."

"It's just what, Ranma?" She tilted her head to the side, the smile slowly transforming into a smirk.

"...I've never told anyone the complete story like that. I... How did you get me to do it?" He looked at her in a slightly accusing way, his eyes narrowing.

Ashley held up her hands, "Wow, _wow_! Slow down there... I never made you do _anything_."

He paused for a moment. '_She's right._'

The only thing that she had really done the entire time was nod, and give him an encouraging smile or two... He had almost told her the whole story without even realizing it.

He played with his braid nervously, "Um... Sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that."

She shrugged, "No problem... This kind of thing used to happen to me all the time at home."

"What, being confused for a martial artist?"

She laughed, a surprisingly loud sound from someone with such a quiet voice. "Nah... I'm pretty easy to talk to, I guess. I used to have a bunch of girls at school come to me for advice, or just so that they could have someone to tell their problems to."

Ranma blinked, "Why would they keep coming to you? ...Were they your friends, or something?"

Ashley grinned, "Not at all, actually... I barely knew them, but they liked coming to me. I guess it's because they knew that I'd keep their secrets safe. Whatever someone tells me, won't ever be repeated."

"So, you won't tell anyone about...?"

"It'll be our little secret."

Of course, after hours of being ignored, Ranma's stomach decided to loudly input it's own opinion. Ranma looked away, a bright blush covering his cheeks as he coughed into his hand. "Um, well... Right then."

The blond looked up towards the dark sky, a rumble of thunder signifying that the storm was well on it's way. "Aw, crap... I'm sorry for keeping you out this late!"

Ranma looked around a little, "Um... Aren't your parents going to be mad if you're late getting home?"

She paused, wincing slightly. "Ah... No. I'm currently living alone."

"Well, are you hungry?"

At this moment, Ashley's own stomach decided to growl out an answer before she could even open her mouth. She blushed, "Oops. Ehehe... You didn't hear _anything_."

He raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. A bear just decided that now would be the perfect time to go for a walk in the park."

She nodded sagely, "Exactly."

They both stared at each other for a few seconds of silence, before finally bursting into laughter.

* * *

After taking a while to convince Ashley that he wouldn't break his back by carrying her, Ranma jumped up to the nearest rooftop and set off to the Tendo dojo. There was no denying that she was heavy, but she was no where near as big as his father. After a minute or two, she had finally relaxed enough to stop stabbing him with her nails. He wasn't about to say it out loud, but it had actually hurt... But only slightly. He was the best, after all.

He couldn't help but sigh with relief as he landed in front of the gate, placing the large woman gently onto her feet. She looked at him worriedly as they walked up the path towards the house. "Oh, god... I knew you shouldn't have carried me! Oh... Your poor back..."

He simply waved it off, and opened the door. "Kasumi, I brought a guest over for dinner! Is that okay?"

After they had removed their shoes, Kasumi walked out of the kitchen. "Oh? Did you invite one of your little friends over again, Ranma?"

Ashley waved, "Hello Kasumi!"

"Oh my!" Kasumi smiled and gracefully bowed in greeting. "Ashley-marie! It's so nice to see you again!"

"Aw, Kasumi... Just call me Ashley. Ashley-marie is a bit of a mouthful..."

She nodded, "Ashley, I tried those sugar-free cookies that you seemed to like so much. They were quite... Um... 'Awesome'!" The eldest Tendo daughter raised her dainty fist into the air with an enthusiastic smile.

The blond giggled, "Of course they're awesome!" She matched Kasumi's smile before continuing. "So, is there anything that I can help you with?"

"Oh, you really don't need too..."

"Oh, I insist!"

Ranma blinked in confusion as the two women made their way to the kitchen, chatting away happily. '_They know each other...?_' He shrugged to himself, and then decide to go find the fat panda. Maybe they could have a quick spar before the rain started...

* * *

**...Okay, so... I lied. It's not longer than the last chapter. But hey, at least it's new. That's got to count for something, right?**

**Oh, a note... I prefer referring to Ranma as a 'he' instead of changing it to 'she' whenever his curse gets activated. Why? Because he still considers himself to be male, even when in female form.**

**Also, before anyone asks, no I am not going to be pairing myself up with Ranma. That's a budding friendship, there. ...Or at least an attempt at it. **

**What did you think of it, anyway? **

**Good? **

**Bad? **

**Holy-shit-learn-how-to-freaking-type?**

**Review and tell me! **

**Luv,**

**Shifta Shi-Chan(aka Ashley)**

**xoxoxo**

**(P.S. If anyone's confused about my appearance, I've posted a pic of myself on my profile.)**


	4. First Impressions

**Disclaimer: I do not, and unfortunately will never own Ranma ½. The story, and characters all belong to a wonderful woman named Rumiko Takahashi. The only thing that I own would have to be myself, and hopefully some part of the plot used for this fan fiction. **

**...With the amount of fan fiction floating around the Internet these days, I highly doubt it.**

**By the way, panda-Genma's signs will look like this: **(Hey, look! An example!!)

**...Are you sure that there's no possibility of me owning Ranma ½?**

**...No?**

**Well, damn.**

* * *

Ashley smiled as she helped Kasumi in the kitchen, trying her best to follow the sweet young woman's precise directions. Kasumi really _was_ a master chef... Every single move that she made was done with perfect grace and confidence.

The elder girl's example of how to slice the vegetables was sitting on a small plate in front of the cutting board, perfectly cut into neat and even slices. The blond hummed a quiet tune to herself as she cut the vegetables in front of her into semi-neat slices.

Meanwhile, Kasumi was in bliss. '_She's such a polite girl... It's so nice of her to help me prepare dinner!_' She didn't mind the slightly clumsy way that the pale girl held the knife, and was satisfied with the less than perfect way that she cut the vegetables.

At least Ashley's cooking wouldn't melt holes into her perfect little domain, and she seemed to be very happy to receive help. Two things that were always at the top of Kasumi's kitchen safety list.

"Kasumi, I think I'm finished!"

She turned to face the blond, a delighted smile instantly forming on her face. "Thank you, Ashley. Could you please put them over on the other counter?" The younger girl just nodded and did as she was told.

"I'm home!"

Kasumi blinked, and walked out of the kitchen to greet her sister. "Hello Akane, did you have fun with your friends?"

Akane nodded before noticing the usual delicious aroma wafting her way from the kitchen. "Yup! Hey, Kasumi? Will dinner be ready soon?"

"Yes, it should be ready in a few more minutes..."

Akane smiled, and then blinked when she noticed the extra pair of shoes by the doorway. Her eyes narrowed, "I'm gone for a few hours, and the other fiancées just decide to move in!"

Kasumi opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by the sudden crash and muttered curse words from the kitchen. '_Oh my..._'

The youngest Tendo daughter took this as a signal that the financee was trying to sneak up on her, and burst into the kitchen. She blinked before glaring at the unfamiliar girl in the kitchen, "Who the _hell_ are you?"

The blond looked at her with wide eyes, while pressing a bloodied paper towel onto a small cut on her hand. "Um... Hello."

Kasumi looked over Akane's shoulder, "Ashley, are you alright? What was that noise?"

Ashley flushed slightly, "Ah... I was going to go wash the knife, and it slipped out of my hand..." She looked up hopefully at Kasumi. "Could you spare a band aid or something?"

Kasumi nodded, "Run that under the water, I'll be right back." She then hurried off to find the first aid kit.

Akane looked the other girl over, who had followed Kasumi's advice. '_Kasumi doesn't have any friends, so she must be another one of that idiot's fiancee's..._' She nodded to herself, and went to go tell her father.

* * *

After helping the blond clean up and bandage the small cut on her hand, Kasumi and Ashley decided to start bringing dinner out. They couldn't help but stand in shock when they saw the utter chaos occurring right outside the kitchen.

Soun was crying waterfalls at an inhuman rate, while Genma and Ranma bounced around both inside and outside the house as curse words and various attacks flew through the air. Akane had summoned her mallet and was waving it around like a maniac as both Saotomes bounced just beyond her grasp.

'_Holy crap on a stick!_' Ashley blinked a few times, as it had been utterly silent in the kitchen. '_Maybe Nabiki decided to sound-proof the kitchen for Kasumi?_'

Kasumi just hummed to herself and began setting the table, completely oblivious to the insanity around her. The blond stared at her for a moment before following her example. Soun finally seemed to notice the stranger, and suddenly grew to demonic proportions. Demon-Soun glared down at her, the usual fear aura surrounding him.

Ashley shivered for a moment before turning around to face him. She looked up at the fear aura and froze, her shoulders shaking. Not in fear, surprisingly. '_Oh dear god... That's just... too... much..._'

Before she could burst out laughing at the 'fear' aura, she was suddenly scooped up and carried to the other side of the room. "Eh...?"

"Watch it Akane! She--" Ranma was cut off by a punch to the jaw from his father. Ashley looked over to where she had been, and saw Akane glaring at her while clutching her mallet.

"Boy! How dare you bring another woman into your finance's home! Have you no honor?!" Genma's little speech was cut short when he was thrown outside and directly into the koi pond. A rather angry and soaked panda emerged from the pond to attack Ranma, while pulling out a sign. (Show more respect to your elders!)

The blond raised her hand to try and get everyone's attention,"Um... Excuse me?"

The battle continued, her usual quiet voice going completely unheard.

"...Hello?"

After being ignored a few more times, she couldn't help developing a slight twitch in her left eye. Deciding that it was for the best, she took a deep breath and used the voice that she usually reserved for arguing with her siblings.

"_**MAY I PLEASE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?**_"

She politely cleared her throat before smiling at the wide-eyed martial artists around her. "Thank you. Now, I'm sorry to press, but what the heck is this all about?"

Akane glared at her, "Like you don't know." When the blond did nothing but look at her curiously, she growled. "You're another one of this idiot's fiancées!"

She pointed over to the pigtailed martial artist, who blinked and tilted his head to the side.

"I have another fiancée?"

Ashley sighed and put her hands on her hips, "Who the heck said that I was engaged to someone?" She glanced over at Ranma, smiling. "No offense to you, Ranma. You're very handsome, but I wouldn't want to complicate your life anymore than it already is."

Soun and Genma turned to Ranma, "Of course, you'll have to marry Akane immediately to convince us." (Yes, at once!)

"I'm not marrying that violent tomboy/perverted jerk!" Was the almost instant response.

After a few traded blows and various insults, Ranma flew overhead. He managed to right himself in the air, and did a few flips before landing beside the koi pond. He grinned confidently,"Hah! Ya didn't get me this time, Pops!"

Unfortunately, the storm clouds overhead decided that now would be the perfect time to start thundering and dropping buckets.

'_Damn._' A now female Ranma muttered to himself as he walked back into the dojo.

Ashley looked around at the tense and glaring people in the room, and then over to the delicious dinner that she and Kasumi had made. She then glanced over to Kasumi, who was watching everything with an oblivious smile on her face. '_...Damn._'

She coughed lightly to get everyone's attention. "Well, it seems that my presence is causing a bit of a problem... I think that it might be for the best for me to leave."

Ranma opened his mouth a few times in shock before speaking, "W-wait... You don't have to go..."

Ashley shrugged, "I might as well, it's getting late..." She turned to Kasumi, smiling. "Thanks for letting me help with dinner, Kasumi." The elder girl just nodded, looking a little upset.

After quickly hugging Kasumi and waving to Ranma, she looked to the others. "Thank you for your hospitality." She put her shoes back on and smiled before walking out the door. "See you later Ranma, and Kasumi."

* * *

'_Damn it... I should have known that something like that would happen!_' Ashley grumbled to herself as she walked down the street, the rain sliding off of her new raincoat. She stomped through a particularly large puddle a few times in anger with her rubber boots. '_God,_ _I can be such an __idiot__ sometimes!_'

'_Though... I guess leaving was the better choice. Akane can be freaking __evil__-looking when she wants to be._' She shivered slightly, before deciding to wait a few weeks until their next meeting.

Ashley wasn't stupid enough to believe that she could stand up to the violent girl, as she knew that the results would be extremely painful. '_Maybe I could try to get on her good side, or something...?_'

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she tripped over something in front of her, landing hard on her side in a rather large puddle. The now soaked blond looked down at her feet to see her foot caught up in a strap, which was attached to a large pack. A rather annoyed oink made her look over to see a small black pig wearing a bandanna.

She winced as she slowly stood up, holding her side. "Why the _hell_ do I keep tripping over cursed martial artists?!"

The pig looked up at her in shock, "Bwee?"

Ashley glanced down at him, and then the pack before sighing. "Hello there. Need some help?"

* * *

After an intense struggle and a few rest stops, Ashley, the pig, and the insanely heavy pack arrived at a small coffee shop. She grinned before dragging the pack in, the piglet following close behind. It was practically empty, so she went up to the counter and ordered two coffees and asked the girl at the register to save them a table.

She looked down at the pig, "Can you turn the faucets yourself?" At the pig's slow nod, she smiled and dragged the pack over to the bathrooms. She carefully opened the men's room door and waited for the pig to walk in before closing it.

She had to wait a few minutes before an embarrassed voice quietly whispered through the door, "Um... Could you please pass me my pack?" She pushed it closer to the door, "Sure, just stick your hand out and grab it. Don't worry, no one's looking." She turned her head away as a hand quickly pulled the pack through the door.

"...I'll go sit down, okay?" Hearing a muffled okay, she wandered over to the booth and made herself comfortable. Just as the waitress came up with the order, a young man walked out of the men's room carrying the pack as if it weighed as much as a feather. He nodded politely to the waitress before setting the pack down beside the booth and taking the seat across from Ashley.

He stared at her for a few moments, nervously twiddling his thumbs. "How did you know..?"

Ashley merely sorted through the various packages on the table before smiling and opening two packages of sweetener and pouring them into her coffee cup. "I've seen a few people in Nerima transform before, you obviously being one of them."

She looked up at his shocked look, "What? It's not like you guys are doing an amazing job of hiding it..." She poured a milk into the cup and stirred.

"...Why would you.."

The blond took a sip of her coffee, and raised an eyebrow at him. "Why would I what?" She gestured to the coffee with a small grin, "C'mon drink up. It's actually pretty good."

He blinked at her, before adding the sugar and a creamer to his own cup. After taking a sip, he seemed to relax a little. "...Why did you help me?"

"Well, why wouldn't I?"

The fanged boy looked at her oddly. "I mean... Not to be rude, but... I don't know you. So, why stop to help me?"

She laughed lightly, "It's not like I could just leave you out there!"

"...Why not?"

"I'm not that kind of person, I guess. If I _can_ help someone, I'll help them. It's just the way I am."

He was silent for a while, drinking his coffee as he glanced over at her. After a few minutes, Ashley had drained her cup, and was sliding out of the booth. She fished her out her wallet and withdrew a few bills and placed them on the table.

The blond smiled at him, "I'm Ashley-marie... It was nice to meet you."

He looked up at her from his coffee cup, "...Ryoga Hibiki."

She nodded and zipped up her coat before turning to leave, pausing when she heard him speak.

"...Hey, Uh... Ashley?"

She looked over her shoulder, "Hmm?"

"...Thanks."

* * *

**Holy crap, 970 hits!! Yay! Plus, 18 reviews! It's a new record! (for me at least, lol) Thanks for reading everything so far, guys! ...But more reviews will make me even more thankful! ((winkwinknugdenudge))**

**I'm sorry that I'm a little late with the update... But my birthday was on Saturday. (I'm 17 now, yay!) I've also been busy with my school registration, and being an idiot with my friends. ...Fun times. **

**What did you think of it, anyway? **

**Good? **

**Bad? **

**Holy-shit-learn-how-to-freaking-type?**

**Review and tell me! **

**Luv,**

**Shifta Shi-Chan(aka Ashley)**

**xoxoxo**

**(P.S. If anyone's confused about my appearance, I've posted a pic of myself on my profile.)**


	5. Where IS she?

**Disclaimer****: I do not, and unfortunately will never own Ranma ½. The story, and characters all belong to a wonderful woman named Rumiko Takahashi. The only thing that I own would have to be myself, and hopefully some part of the plot used for this fan fiction. **

**...With the amount of fan fiction floating around the Internet these days, I highly doubt it.**

**By the way, panda-Genma's signs will look like this: **(Hey, look! An example!!)

**...Are you sure that there's no possibility of me owning Ranma ½?**

**...No?**

**Well, damn.**

* * *

Ranma, to be perfectly honest with himself… Was depressed. He had finally met someone that he could really talk to, who didn't care about his curse. Someone that he could rant at for an extended period of time without it ending in a huge fight, or sarcastic remark.

Someone who wasn't throwing themselves at him, obsessing over him, or secretly attempting to plot his demise.

Ashley had, to sum it up in a few words… Been more of a real friend than anyone he had ever known.

He had only known her for a few hours, and in that short amount of time… He had told her almost everything, even if it wasn't all the way down to the specific details.

He was still confused about how easily it had all come out. Just a few smiles, and he was an open book. He wasn't usually like that. Scratch that, he was _NEVER_ like that. A martial artist should never look for help, they don't need help. They're supposed to _be_ the help.

…He wasn't really that stressed out, was he?

Ranma mentally shoved those thoughts out of his head in a rush. _'Naw, I was just embarrassed. That's all…' _He paused for a moment. _'…I think.'_

After they arrived, and Ashley had offered to help Kasumi in the kitchen, everything had gone so very, very well… Then someone, he couldn't remember who, had suddenly announced that Ashley was a new fiancée.

The fight was a bit of a blur, all he could really remember was her trying her best to make everyone stop. After that she had given Kasumi a hug, left and... He hadn't seen her since.

That was a little over three months ago.

Kasumi was definitely starting to worry. She was still her usual cheerful self during meal times, but he couldn't help but notice how strained her smile seemed lately. Ever since Ashley had left, she seemed to be a little more secluded that usual.

…He had even caught her staring at Akane during mealtimes. It's not that she was glaring at her, Kasumi never glared, but honestly…

She looked like a kicked puppy. A lonely one, to top it off.

Ranma tilted his head to the side, a thoughtful expression on his face. _'Now that I think of it, does Kasumi ever really have someone to…' _He made a slightly grossed out face for a moment, _'…Talk about girly stuff to?'_

'_Lets see… Akane has those two girls at school… Whatever their name's are. …Nabiki…Well, she has all of her lackeys, I guess… What about Kasumi?'_

He may not be the smartest guy in the world, but he knew one thing concerning the female species. Something his father had told him years ago on their training journey, during a trip to a local village.

……...

_**Flashback**_

……...

Little Ranma looked up at his father in admiration. The older man had started loosing his hair, but he was still in relatively good shape.

A good role model for martial artists everywhere, at least in the little boy's eyes.

Genma was crouched down with him beside an empty stall in the shopping district, a large grin taking up the lower half of his face as he pointed to all of the people surrounding them. _"Now boy, today you are going to learn about women." _

At the boy's sudden blank look, he scowled and swiftly bopped the top of little Ranma's head, "_Listen up boy, this will be very important for you to remember in the future." _

Bringing a slightly more strained version of his earlier smile to his face, he continued his little lecture. "_Most women like to travel in packs. They usually go everywhere together, washrooms, shopping... Mostly__ shopping." _At the boy's raised eyebrow, Genma's smile turned into a smirk.

"…_Now you see that small group over there? Go over and ask…"_

……...

_**End Flasback**_

……...

Ranma scowled a little at the memory, before shrugging it off.

The more that he thought about it, the clearer it became. _'Does Kasumi really spend so much time looking after her family, that she doesn't even have any friends her own age?' _The only people outside of the family that Ranma had ever really seen her talk to was the elderly couple down the street. …Well, that and Doctor Tofu.

Apparently, ever since they had met, the two women would go shopping together, sometimes even twice a week. He could see the small shadow slowly developing in her eyes whenever she came back from grocery shopping.

Ranma had been around Ryoga long enough to know what the beginning stages of depression looked like, and he would be damned if Kasumi ever started acting like Ryoga.

He shuddered as an image of Kasumi with a gigantic depression aura accidentally firing off an attack in his direction, looking very much like Ryoga, flew through his head.

He sighed and flopped down on the roof of the dojo, "Ashley… What the heck happened to you?"

"Hello, Ranma m'boy."

Ranma jumped at the sudden voice, quickly shifting into a defensive stance. He looked around for a second, and then looked down to see Happosai standing in front of him.

He discreetly checked himself over to make sure that the old pervert hadn't somehow shifted his forms and dressed him in lingerie. …Again. Much to his surprise, he was still himself, and his clothing was completely intact.

He glared down at the master of his school, "…Whadda ya want old man?"

"I think that I might've misheard, but… Did you just say 'Ashley'?" The little old man looked up at him with worry showing in the wrinkles of his face.

Ranma looked at the much older man warily, before crouching down to look the man in the eyes. "How do you know her, old man?"

The master's eyebrows drew together, while his small moustache outlined his rather defined frown.

"She's… Well, an acquaintance of mine." At Ranma's frown, he quickly added, "We made a deal. In exchange for her artistic services, I am to… ah, protect her."

The pigtailed martial artist raised an eyebrow, "…'Artistic services'…?"

The old man gave him a cheeky grin before pulling out a few pieces of paper that were safely kept in protective plastic sleeves. He held them out to show the boy, his smile growing bright. "They're beautiful, no?"

Ranma blinked before leaning in closer to examine the sketches. His eyes went wide, staring as a faint blush slowly rose to his cheeks. He jumped away slightly, the blush growing brighter as he stuttered. "I.. ah… S-She.."

Happosai seemed pleased with the effect that the pictures had on his student, "She's wonderful, simply wonderful." With that said, he carefully put the sketches away.

'_So THAT's why the old letch hasn't been on as many panty raids lately…' _Ranma shook his head and took a deep breath before slowly releasing it.

He stopped suddenly, "Wait… What exactly were you protecting her from…?" He couldn't help but feel a small sense of dread in the very pit of his stomach.

"Hmm? Oh, you know… Mugging, rape, the usual…" The old man's eyes suddenly widened. "Umm… Ranma, my boy… When was the last time you saw her?"

Ranma stared blankly, "…About three months ago…?"

As Happosai practically turned white as a sheet, Ranma picked him up by the front of his shirt. "Where does she live, old man?"

Happosai squirmed out of the deathgrip, landing on the ground and dusting himself off. "To be honest, I don't really know… But I can show you where I usually meet her…"

"So, aren't you worried about her?" Ranma glared.

The older man glared back, "Aren't you? Of course I'm worried, without her I'll have no one to draw my beauties!!"

"…How could it take us this long to remember about her?" Ranma blinked as the words tumbled out of his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that out loud…

Happosai actually looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess… Time in Nermia just… Flies. Everything goes by so quickly here… I guess we really never have the chance to notice it."

Ranma just shrugged, having nothing to say.

The master just sighed and leapt to the nearest rooftop, "Come on, boy. I'll show you the spot."

About half an hour later, the two martial artists landed perfectly in front of a seemingly random bench in the downtown park. It was almost completely dark, the dim lighting from the shoddy lampposts nearby only served to make the surroundings look dreary.

Ranma made a face, "You wanted her to meet you _here_?"

The old pervert snorted, "I didn't want to meet her here, in fact… _She's_ the one who suggested the spot."

He rolled his eyes, "Riiiight…" He frowned before examining the bench a little closer. "Hey…"

The older man raised an eyebrow, "What is it, my boy?"

"I think…" Ranma bent down to the ground and fished under the bench for a moment. When he pulled his hand out, he was holding a small box of useless waterlogged band-aids. "...This is the bench that I woke up on…"

"You woke up on a bench?"

Ignoring the older man, Ranma glanced towards the bushes behind the bench.

'_I remember Ashley looking back here a few times before she finally agreed to leave with me… Maybe…' _Letting the thought trail off, Ranma lightly hopped over the bench and started to make his way through the bushes.

Happosai stared after him for a moment, blinking. _'Aw, what the heck.' _He then bounced his way after the pigtailed boy.

A few moments later, they came across a tent. Well… What was left of a tent. It looked like a large branch had been struck by lightning and pierced the tent. The plastic covering was completely ripped open, exposing a few… feminine articles of clothing, and a waterlogged sleeping bag.

The two martial artists looked at each other in disbelief, _'She was living alone in a __**TENT**__?!'_

Happosai cautiously walked over and lifted the tent flap to look inside, "Well, it doesn't look like she's here…"

Ranma crept up behind him, "Maybe… It's not hers?"

The older man shook his head sadly, holding up one of Ashley's bras. "If you know of anyone else with this size, feel free to tell me."

The pigtailed boy quickly yanked it out of his hands, "Don't touch her stuff, you pervert!"

Happosai narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to retaliate. "Why do you get to-…" The words died in his mouth.

Ranma blinked, staring at his seemingly frozen elder. "Eh? Old Letch, what's-…" He looked over his shoulder and nearly jumped in surprise.

A swirling black vortex had appeared behind him, and it was slowly growing larger.

Two hands suddenly seemed to leap out and grab tightly onto the edges of the portal, sharp nails desperately clawing for something to hold onto. After getting as secure of a hold as they could, the hands tensed and a feminine grunt could be faintly heard as someone tried to struggle out of the seemingly endless vortex they were caught in.

A familiar blond head popped into existence, a slight grimace on her face as she pulled her upper body completely out of the black abyss. She straightened and turned her body slightly, carefully easing one of her legs out of the portal.

Before she could completely free her other leg however, the portal disappeared with an audible popping noise. She shrieked and fell the rest of the way to the earth, landing rather painfully on her rump.

She slowly got up and brushed herself off, carefully checking to make sure that she still had all of her limbs attached. She then patted herself down to make sure that everything was in proportion, before finally sighing in relief. "Holy _FUCK_, I'm never doing that again!"

She fixed her hair a little and adjusted her black shoulder bag before noticing the two stunned males standing in front of her. "Oh _shi_-… Umm, Hi guys?"

They both stood there, their mouths gaping open and closed like fish. Ranma was the first to regain the use of his vocal cords. "A-Ashley?"

The blond smiled brightly, "The one and only. Now, Ranma… I'm sure that you both have some questions that you want answered." At their slow nod, she continued, "But… Umm… May I ask one first?"

He nodded slowly, "Uh… Sure?"

She coughed lightly, a small smile decorating her face.

"… Why are you holding my bra?"

* * *

**YES! I'M ALIVE! ALIVE I SAY, ALIIIIIIVVVVEEEE!!!**

**Holy crap, I can't believe that it's been THREE FREAKING MONTHS since I updated! THREE MONTHS! GAAAAAAAHHHH!!! (shoots self)**

**I'm so, so very sorry for not updating for so long…**

**Hopefully someone out there will still read it? O.o**

**And… I have over 2,000 views?! And 37 reviews!! When the heck did that happen?!**

**Thank you all so much for enjoying the story, hopefully everyone will enjoy this chapter and review. (Even though I think that I may have gotten a little rusty...)**

**...Because I like reviews. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**

**What did you think of it, anyway? **

**Good? **

**Bad? **

**Holy-shit-learn-how-to-freaking-type?**

**Review and tell me! **

**Luv,**

**Shifta Shi-Chan(aka Ashley)**

**xoxoxo**


	6. That was YOU?

**Disclaimer****: I do not, and unfortunately will never own Ranma ½. The story, and characters all belong to a wonderful woman named Rumiko Takahashi. The only thing that I own would have to be myself, and hopefully some part of the plot used for this fan fiction. **

**...With the amount of fan fiction floating around the Internet these days, I highly doubt it.**

**...Are you sure that there's no possibility of me owning Ranma ½?**

**...No?**

**Well, damn.**

* * *

**_A few months earlier…_**

* * *

It was still raining. 

And it was cold.

It was _freezing_ actually, thank you for asking.

Ashley shivered inside of her tent, the rain pelting the outer covering and the thunder booming loudly outside. She had also made a very useful discovery, shifting clothes doesn't matter if they're wet! She had tried shifting into a nice, warm outfit at first…

The shift worked but unfortunately, the clothes were still soaked.

So instead of her original plan, she had to strip off all of her clothes and squeeze out as much of the excess water as she could. Giving up when she realized that she couldn't completely dry them, she wondered if she could make the clothes appear out of nothing.

After a few tries, she finally did it. Sure, they were a pair of shorts and a tank top, but whatever.

She glanced over to the small pile of hygiene products beside her sleeping bag. The blonde had been saving them for when she first got to use her new shower at the apartment. But after spending god-knows how long without a proper washing, she was using them _now_ damn it.

At least now the pouring rain outside would serve a better purpose than making her wet and cold. Sure, she'd be even more wet and cold afterwards… But she'd feel _clean_.

Making up her mind, she shifted her current clothing into a bathing suit and picked up the bathing supplies. She chose one of the corners in the tent that she didn't really use much and proceeded to scrub herself down with the environment-friendly soap and shampoo.

'_There we go…' _She then glanced at the zipped up opening of the tent, _'Christ, this is going to be cold.' _Acting quickly, she unzipped the tent and darted outside quickly.

Ashley rinsed herself off, frantically rubbing at her arms, legs and hair. _'At least no one is insane enough to go walking around at this time of night and in this weather…' _

Once she finally felt that she had gotten all of the shampoo out of her hair, she unzipped the tent and went in. She felt like a partially drowned rat, but at least she was clean.

It was then that our blonde friend remembered that she had no towels.

"Fuck this Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttt...!"

* * *

Ashley had changed her wet clothes into a few towels, but… Stripping out of a wet bathing suit and attempting to dry yourself off with cold damp towels was not fun. Definitely not something to ever put on your to-do list. 

She was still damp, but at least she wasn't dripping. She had managed to shift her clothes again, but it was really hard to concentrate on shifting anything when she was shaking like a leaf.

Eventually, she had come up with a thick nightgown. Sure, it was a little dorky looking, and it wasn't completely dry, but it was better than standing in a tent naked. A little bit warmer now, she thought up a pair of pajama pants to wear underneath it.

She then crawled into her chilly sleeping bad. "Y'know what would be a great invention? A cheap tent with a built-in heater." She muttered to herself.

And this is where you came in.

'_Note to self: Experiment more with my shifting ability, so I know useful shit like this ahead of time.' _

With that in mind, the shivering blonde began to slowly fall asleep.

* * *

Ashley felt like she was in heaven. She was being lovingly cuddled by a pair of warm arms, her face lightly laying on top of his chest as she listened to his heartbeat. She could hear the rain pouring, and sleepily congratulated herself on setting up the tent correctly. She then remembered that she was alone. 

A silky voice purred into her ear, "Have a nice sleep, love?"

Her eyes snapped open and she pushed herself off of the man that had somehow managed to worm his way into her sleeping bag, opening her mouth to scream.

A pair of beautiful clawed hands grabbed at her, one covering her mouth and the other pulling her closer to him. "Now now, none of that…"

Her frightened eyes focused on his face, and then widened in shock as she blushed. Noticing that she had stopped frantically trying to escape him, he removed the hand from her mouth and instead used it to gently cup her face.

"There we go, calm down." He smirked as she finally got a better look at him.

He…

'_He looks like a teenager!' _Ashley's shock filled mind informed her.

He had tanned skin and a bright shock of white hair that fell softly around his face, pointed elf-like ears and a fanged smile. His glowing red eyes seemed to taunt her, and she quickly noticed the… _tail_… that was lazily wrapping itself around her large waist.

In short, the teen looked like something that had popped right out of a freaking yaoi/boylove comic!

After a few tries, she finally managed to speak. "Wha… Who…" Er… That is, she tried to speak.

The teen grinned impishly at her, "Damos the Incubus… At your _service_."

Clearing her throat, Ashley tried again. "Um… Right then." She blinked a few times, "So.. Damos." The demon nodded, "…Why the _**FUCK**_ are you in my sleeping bag with me? …Why are you even in my tent in the first place?!"

"Well, you were freezing. Bound to get sick that way, and we can't have that." He then smiled at her in a manner that in no way made her feel safe.

"Besides, after the little show you gave me out in the rain, I just HAD to help you."

She stared at him in shock as he began to run his clawed fingers through her hair, talking to her in a babyish voice. "Poor little Ashley-marie, all **alone** in a tent, freezing, in the middle of a thunderstorm…" He then changed back to his normal voice and leaned in to purr into her ear. "Poor. _Little. __**Thing**_…"

She squeaked and struggled, the sleeping bag and the demon in it keeping her captive. She wiggled around a little until she had found the zipper hidden behind the demons back.

With a look of relief, she wrapped her arms around him and rolled so that the now very surprised demon was on top of her. Before he could act on whatever kind of perverted ideas that he probably had flying in his head, she unzipped the bag and sat up.

Damos's eyes flashed as he grabbed her wrist and dug his claws in before she could stand up. She winced, "Why are you doing this?!"

The demon growled, "Why aren't _you_ affected?!"

Ashley glared, "Affected by what? You're the one trying to molest me in my sleep for fuck's sake!"

"You're resisting me! No one should be able to fight off the spell!!"

"What spell? And of course I'm resisting you! I don't even know you!"

"That shouldn't matter!" The demon sounded very frustrated, his fangs poking out of his mouth as he spoke. "Why aren't you in love with me yet?!"

The blonde's right eye twitched. "Fall in love with you?! You're very attractive and all, but… I just met you!" She took a deep breath to try to calm herself down. "…Just… Please, explain."

He eyed her for a moment before slowly releasing her hand. When he noticed that she wasn't about to run screaming out into the rain, he sighed. "Look… I'm an Incubus. In-cu-bus. You do know what that means, right?"

She flushed brightly, but nodded. He sneakily wrapped his arms around her in a light embrace, but stopped himself from doing anything else when he felt her stiffen.

"Please, let go." He looked at her with large shocked eyes, "There! You just did it again!" At her confused look, he let go.

"You aren't supposed to be able to resist me. It's impossible, when we… do what we're supposed to do, the victim shouldn't have a choice. They aren't even supposed to wake up. But… You've done both." He ran a clawed hand through his hair, and grumbled.

"So, if I hadn't woken up… You would've actually… _Raped_ me?"

He opened his mouth to speak, and then quickly snapped it shut.

She looked down at her dorky nightgown hiding her stomach and thighs, "Why the hell would you even want to in the first place?!" She then noticed how his eyes lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning, and decided that she didn't want to know.

"Never mind that… Let's try a different question. …Why were you even watching me in the first place?"

He did nothing but hold his hands out in front of her. She looked at him oddly for a moment before examining his hands.

His very, very pretty hands.

…His pretty, well manicured hands that were wearing beautiful rings.

Damos noticed how she wasn't putting the pieces of the puzzle together fast enough. So, he swiftly grabbed the front of her nightgown.

The pieces clicked firmly into place.

"THAT WAS _**YOU**_?!"

The demon watched as she seemed to throw a violent temper tantrum, cry, pace around the small tent, pull at her hair, punch at his chest, and then cry some more. All within the span of thirty seconds.

He idly itched the side of his neck, "You done?"

She was panting slightly, "…I think I'm good." The blond then blinked. "Wait, how did you do that?" Damos grinned cheekily, "Sped up time for us a little. In reality, you took about thirty minutes."

". . ." She rubbed at her face in frustration, "Hmph. You still didn't answer me. Why exactly, did you pull me through the freaking computer and into an anime dimension? Without even giving me anything to protect myself?! Money, a place to stay, even a fucking identity would have been nice!"

He grinned, "About time you asked… Well, you see-" A loud crash sounded from outside and within a split second he had summoned a portal. Before Ashley could scream in surprise, he had wrapped his arms around her waist and jumped in.

Moments later, a large smoking branch pierced the roof of the tent. The plastic covering instantly caved in with the branch, allowing the rain to slowly fill up the remains of the tent.

* * *

**That's all for now guys! Don't worry, a new chapter will be up soon!**

**And now for… The tally!! Review count's at 40-freaking-seven! Not to mention the hits! We're at 2995! Almost 3000 guys!**

**Thank you all so much for enjoying the story, hopefully everyone will enjoy this chapter and review. Because I like reviews. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**

**What did you think of it, anyway? **

**Good? **

**Bad? **

**Holy-shit-learn-how-to-freaking-type?**

**Review and tell me! **

**Luv,**

**Shifta Shi-Chan(aka Ashley)**

**xoxoxo**


	7. Discovering the Balance

**Disclaimer****: I do not, and unfortunately will never own Ranma ½. The story, and characters all belong to a wonderful woman named Rumiko Takahashi. The only thing that I own would have to be myself, and hopefully some part of the plot used for this fan fiction. **

**...With the amount of fan fiction floating around the Internet these days, I highly doubt it.**

**...Are you sure that there's no possibility of me owning Ranma ½?**

**...No?**

**Well, damn.**

* * *

Ashley now knew one thing for certain. 

She _**hated**_ portals.

Portals, vortexes, rips in the very fabric of time and space, black holes, whatever you wish to call them, she hated them with an unrelenting passion.

To those of you who have never been through one of these 'marvellous' wonders, I'll offer an explanation.

Have you ever gone on one of those falling rides that they have at the amusement park?

The ones that strap you to the seat and then proceed to lift you to an insane height off of the wonderful, safe ground. Then, after a few seconds, you suddenly hear an ominous clicking noise before the ride decides to _drop_ you.

Now, remember the feeling of falling towards the not-so-safe-anymore ground. Your stomach lurches, and your brain goes into a temporary state of shock.

Think about another ride. That one ride that you should never go on after eating, like… The 'pirate ship', or 'space shuttle', whatever that particular amusement part decides to call it, it's still the same damn thing.

Basically, they put you in a 'boat' with dozens of other people. Then, they start to slowly rock the boat back and forth, gradually speeding up over time.

Whoever the heck designed the ride in the first place decided that it would be a fabulous idea to make the boat go even faster than it should possibly be able to go, and they make it go _upside down_. …In _loops._

Now, imagine that you had eaten before going on the ride. But… That it was impossible to actually vomit. …Sucks, right?

Alright, now that you've started to understand… Combine both of those feelings. The stomach lurching while falling from an undetermined height, all the while you're spinning upside down and swaying from side to side.

Now that you have the feeling down, multiply it by fifty two.

Yes, I think that you can now perfectly understand what it feels like to go through a portal.

Not all fun and games, now is it?

So, as you can see, Ashley had every right in her now tortured soul to hate portals and everything that has to do with them.

* * *

By the time that they had actually landed, Ashley had the strangest urge to claw out Damos's pretty red eyes and feed them to him. It was then that she realized that he was still carrying her. 

It must have looked quite odd, the skinny little wisp of a teenaged boy carrying a woman of her size with his tail wrapped comfortably around her thick waist.

She practically jumped out of his arms the very second that his tail decided to try to go lower.

The blonde brushed her messy hair with her sharp fingernails, as she glared at the now pouting demon. "Damos?"

He blinked innocently, "What?"

"Next time you feel the need to pull me through a portal, do me a favour."

At his questioning look, she practically hissed. "Knock. Me. The. Fuck. Out."

Damos tilted his head to the side, "What, you didn't like it?"

"NO. How the hell do you manage to get through that thing?" She could feel her right eye start to slightly twitch, "Are you some kind of masochist?!"

He grinned darkly at her, the innocent act quickly fading into nothing as his fangs gleamed at her.

"Oh… Right. Demon."

Ashley flushed slightly and took a moment to finally look around. "Where…?"

They were surrounded by darkness, with the only bit of light coming from somewhere above where they were standing. The air smelt damp, yet fresh, but that was the only thing that she managed to make out.

Damos just stood there in the middle of the little 'spotlight' that they were in. He glanced over seeing the blonde's confusion, "What's wrong?"

She just squinted at the darkness, frowning. "I can't see anything outside of this random spotlight."

The demon just sneered at her, "Ugh… Mortals..." He then quickly scurried off into the darkness.

Ashley glanced around, suddenly nervous at being left alone in the dark. _'He's coming back… Right? …'_

She saw a faint glow of blue light in the distance, and couldn't help but be curious. _'What is that?' _

After a few minutes, she gave into her curiosity and took a few steps forward. The blonde looked down at the very edge of the spotlight, wary of crossing it to go further.

The blue light in the distance looked warm and comforting compared to the harsh light from the spotlight. She glanced back from the edge of the spotlight to the warm blue glow.

'_Screw it.'_

Suddenly uncaring about the divider between her and the dark, Ashley stepped over the line and waited. _'Well, if there had been something waiting in the dark to… Eat me or something, they probably would have done the very second that I passed the line.'_

'_Gah, listen to me… Afraid of the dark? I'm not a child. I don't need someone to check the closet or under the bed!' _She fumed, turning back to glare at the spotlight.

'_Fine. If there's something in the dark waiting to eat me, at least I'd give them a major case of heartburn.'_

A bit more confident now, Ashley started to make her way towards the blue glow. About half way to her destination, she started to notice how much brighter it seemed to get the closer that she got. The blue light even seemed to be reaching towards her, strangely enough.

Soon, the light was too bright for her to keep her eyes open. She frowned, _'I'm not going to give up after coming this far.' _Keeping her eyes tightly shut, she continued to walk.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, Ashley could finally feel the warmth of the crystal. She was exhausted, breathing heavily as she reached her hand out in the hopes of finding the source of the bright light. 

Her hand came in contact with something hard, and perfectly smooth. As she lay her hand upon it, she could see it flash painfully brightly from behind her eyelids. After flashing a few times, the light slowly dimmed down to a manageable level.

She slowly opened her eyes, and shook her head. Stars swam through her vision, and she swayed slightly as she fought to keep standing.

A few minutes of standing still and blinking rapidly later, the blonde was finally able to see clearly. Shaking her head once more for good measure, she decided to look at her now lit up surroundings.

As she looked up at the ceiling, various smaller blue lights began to glow warmly all around her. Thankful for the light, Ashley looked down at the major source of warm light. Her hand was resting on top of the most beautiful crystal that she had ever seen.

It's surface was flawless, perfect in every imaginable way. She slowly ran her hand over one of the sharp edges, before wincing and pulling her hand away.

'_Ouch…' _She rubbed her hand slightly, watching the small cut glow a soft blue before fading away to nothing. The few drops of blood slowly sank through the crystal's surface, the blue glow growing a little stronger.

Ashley blinked in amazement, _'Magical glowing healin' crystals… Neat.'_

Now feeling a little bored of the crystal, Ashley turned around to start heading back towards the spotlight. "I probably shouldn't have left it, Damos will- …" Her thoughts came to a sudden halt as she stared at the 'path' that she had made from the spotlight.

Her eyes widened with horror at the gruesome sight before her, "Wha-… How..?"

'_It's a landscape of corpses. Young, old, man, woman… Beast?' _Her brain stuttered to her in shock.

The walls of the cave looked to be made of a darker crystal, with small groups of the glowing blue crystal hanging off of the walls. There were… People, demons, creatures… All of them dead.

All of them seeming to be reaching towards the blue crystals.

She raised her hands to her mouth, trying to overcome the urgent need to vomit. Her eyes were wide and frightened as she glanced around her slowly, wary of whatever creature had caused the deaths of all of these beings.

She looked down carefully at the ground near her feet and shuddered. She was standing in what looked like a gigantic pile of ashes. Unable to help herself, she slowly moved her foot to brush some of the ash away.

To her horror, the blonde could see a small skull smiling up at her as well as a few random fragments of crumbling bone.

"**I see that you have passed the trial."**

Ashley stiffened, her eyes darting around in panic at the sudden loud echoing voice. Slowly turning around to face the 'source' of the voice, she let her jaw hang open in shock.

Standing before her was a woman. A giantess of a woman with deep blue skin, who could most likely use a telephone pole for a toothpick. Eyes the colour of molten gold gazed down upon her peacefully.

A giant blue hand gently picked up the shocked blonde, carefully holding her as the giantess sat down. **"Come, welcome my childe."**

Under the giantess's warm eyes and sweet smile, Ashley slowly felt herself calm down. Laying down and closing her eyes, the blonde took a few deep breaths before releasing them, and then repeating the process.

"What… Is all of this? …Why..? Just… Why?" She opened her eyes and looked up at the giantess's surprisingly beautiful face.

The gigantic blue beauty sighed, before looking down to the floor of the cave. **"They… Are the ones who did not pass the trial in front of them."**

She looked towards the pillar of light, the spotlight. **"There are those who are too scared to leave the safety of the 'light' to even venture into the dark. They all slowly begin to wither within the light, much like a plant that has spent far too long in the sun."**

Next, the giantess's gaze went towards the many corpses littering the cave's crystal floor. **"These are all of the ones who were too pure to be haunted by many sins. As soon as one of these creatures crossed the divider between the light and the dark, they were devoured by the darker shadows of their souls." **

As the blonde looked upon the corpses, she could see a few waif-like shapes haunting the grounds. "What do you mean, 'too pure'? Shouldn't that have given them some kind of… Protection against the shadows?"

The giantess shook her head, **"Sadly, no. Their purity may have had some power if they were the chosen of a God… But, as they were… It only served to attract the shadows to them."**

Ashley gazed down towards the various mounds of ash, and then back up towards the giantess's face. "So… Were they too pure as well?"

The giantess's lips quirked up into a small smile as she let out a chuckle, **"Oh, Gods no. They… Were the ones who had far too much sin to handle the touch of pure holy light. As soon as they came too close to the crystals, the light would utterly destroy them." **

She paused to poke at a nearby pile of ash with her foot. **"As you can see, they all turned into ash. Good riddance."**

"But… What about me? I went through everything, and I'm… Most definately traumatised, but pretty much fine."

"**Ah, little Ashley-marie… You have a balanced soul. You are… A very rare thing indeed. You are… Sinful, yet pure. It is odd, really… I've never met a mortal with a balanced soul."**

Ashley blinked and sighed. "I highly doubt that today could get any weirder. So… I have a balanced soul? What does that have to do with me getting sent into a random anime dimension?"

The giantess threw her head back and laughed, her massive shoulders shaking with her mirth. **"Oh! How delightful, I'd forgotten how much fun mortals were…" **She paused to wipe a few tears from her golden eyes.

She glanced around, **"Mmm-hmm… Where did that little Incubus go… Damos? Come out, childe!"**

Almost instantly, the familiar demon popped though a portal to land lightly on top of the giant beauty's shoulder. "Hello, Seer… I am sorry, I'll be sure to choose a better candidate for the next-…" His fiery red eyes went almost impossibly wide as he spotted the blonde calmly sitting in the giantess's blue hand.

"Wha-… You…" He sputtered for a few moments, looking back and forth between Ashley and the gigantic blue being now known as the Seer.

"How? You were supposed to die, like all of the others!" His tail lashed angrily behind him, "How?! How did you survive?!"

* * *

**Yay! End of this chapter guys, sorry!**

**And now for… Drumroll please! …The tally!!**

**Review count is at 60-freaking-six!**

**Aaaaannnd… the hits are at… 3865! Wow, guys!**

**Thank you all so much for enjoying the story, hopefully everyone will enjoy this chapter and review. Because I like reviews. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**

**Oh! For anyone who's interested… I've done a mini fanart of Damos. It's called, creatively enough, Damos the Incubus. ...I couldn't think of a more appropriate name, honestly.**

**It's reachable from my homepage on my profile, which is really just my deviantart account. I might also just post the actual link into my profile.**

**What did you think of it, anyway?**

**Good? **

**Bad? **

**Holy-shit-learn-how-to-freaking-type?**

**Review and tell me! **

**Luv,**

**Shifta Shi-Chan(aka Ashley)**

**xoxoxo**


	8. Freaking Portals

**Disclaimer****: I do not, and unfortunately will never own Ranma ½. The story, and characters all belong to a wonderful woman named Rumiko Takahashi. The only thing that I own would have to be myself, and hopefully some part of the plot used for this fan fiction. **

**...With the amount of fan fiction floating around the Internet these days, I highly doubt it.**

**((SPECIAL NOTE: IF THIS CHAPTER'S RELIGIOUS VIEWS/ACTIONS/FIGURES COMPLICATE YOUR OWN AND/OR DISTURB YOU, PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ****THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION****!))**

**((...IT SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!))**

**((THANK YOU.))**

**...Are you sure that there's no possibility of me owning Ranma ½?**

**...No?**

**Well, damn.**

* * *

The blonde raised an eyebrow before asking in a partially monotone voice, "What, were you expecting me to die?"

Damos fumed, his tail lashing furiously as he glared at her from atop his perch on the Seer's massive shoulder.

"Yeah… Thanks for the vote of confidence, Damos my friend."

The Seer sighed. "Damos, what has gotten into you?" She plucked the irate demon from her shoulder, dangling him in front of her at eye level.

He stared into the beautiful golden eyes in front of him, before turning his head away in embarrassment. "But… Why her, Seer? Why HER?"

The Seer tilted her bald head to the side, a slow smile spreading across her features. "Ah, I see…" She turned her gaze towards the blonde woman sitting comfortably in her other palm.

Damos just continued to fume, looking away from both of the females.

Ashley silently watched as the Seer took her time examining the two of them. After what seemed to be an eternity, the Seer carefully stood and walked out of the crystal-filled chamber.

"Seer? What is this all about? Why am I here? Why did Damos send me away in the first place?"

The blue giantess neither spoke, nor changed her expression from the soft smile that she was wearing.

…However, she did eventually stop walking.

The blonde glanced around the vast darkness surrounding them, she couldn't see anything. Ashley couldn't help but quickly glance over at Damos, only to find him staring at her, his fiery eyes gleaming.

She shivered slightly, '_Holy crap, that's creepy… What, did I accidentally kick his puppy in a past life?_'

The one-sided staring match continued until the Seer opened her mouth and let out a series of sounds, ranging from high lofty notes, and a deep guttural growling that definitely lasted longer than should be necessary.

Damos must've noticed the confused look on Ashley's face, because he sighed and slightly turned his head towards her, only speaking loud enough so that she could understand him.

"That was a combination of several different dialects of the astral plane, to be honest I only really understood the demonic and gutter speech.."

His voice trailed off into a sudden gasp as a shining line suddenly appeared before them. It quickly expanded into what looked like an ancient crystal door, covered in spider-like runes and deep crevices.

The Seer cleared her throat, "Hmm.. It seems that my demonic has become a little rusty over the years… Oh well, this should get us on our way."

She gently moved Damos to her other hand with Ashley, and then used her now free hand to caress the crystal framing the doorway.

The blonde winced. "Is it another portal?"

Damos nodded, "Yes, almost like the one that I brought you here with."

Ashley turned towards him, her hands clasped in front of her pleadingly. "Please, Damos? Do me this little favour? I hate them, oh God please…"

The white haired demon grumbled to himself, before wrapping his arms around her waist. She paled, "Wait, why are you--"

His expression morphed into an impish grin before he used his tail to tap a special point at the back of her neck, watching in amusement as she slumped against him.

Greedily nuzzling his face in the space between her breasts, he chuckled. "Well, at least she's not too bright."

The Seer looked down at the 'couple', still smiling her secretive smile. With a slight nod to herself, she stepped through the portal.

* * *

Ashley groaned. Going through the portal knocked out was certainly much better than going through it fully conscious, but… Damn, it still sucked.

She shook her head violently for a moment before blinking her eyes open.

White.

Pure, unspoiled white.

She paused. "Holy crap. White light, white light!" Then burst into giggles, _'Gotta love Orlando Bloom.'_

Quickly wiping away a tear from her little giggle fest, she stared at the extremely bright light surrounding her.

After a few minutes, she could faintly see various outlines of… Well, it had to be something, right? Shaking her head and rubbing her eyes vigorously, she began to understand where she was.

"I'm in… an office?"

"**That is correct, Ashley."**

Ashley squeaked, and spun around… and around… and around…

… "When the hell did I get in an office chair..?"

The voice chuckled.

After stopping the wildly spinning office chair, the large woman finally looked towards the source of the voice…

And regretted it, not a split second later.

"Oww! Yeesh, turn down the lights over there!" The blonde shrieked, "What the hell is that, a ten thousand watt light bulb?! What is _wrong_ with you?!" She winced, her hands flying up to cover her eyes.

"**Hmm? Oh!" **The devastating bright light dimmed considerably. **"Forgive me, young lady… I should have turned it down sooner."**

She peeked through her fingers, only to see a glossy white surface in front of her. Cautiously lowering her fingers to grip at the fabric of her nightgown pooling in her lap, she glanced around.

'_Well… It's still pretty damn white. But it definitely looks like an office now… Nice desk._' The beautifully carved desk shone a brilliant white, the surface perfectly polished.

'_Damn, what did they use on this thing? Turtle wax? I can practically see my own reflection!_'

"**Why thank you. I am glad that you are pleased with the furnishings, Ashley." **The voice lightly teased, and the blonde could swear that she heard a faint laughter echoing inside of her head.

She had been avoiding it, in the hopes that she wouldn't be stuck staring into an insanely bright light once again. Heaving a small sigh, she squinted her eyes and looked up towards the figure calmly sitting at the desk in front of her spinny office chair.

"I…"

Her eyes opened a little wider as she took in the freshly pressed white suit, tie and slacks on the… person. She couldn't make out the features of the face clearly, even though they were only a meter or so apart.

'_Must be the bright halo, I guess…_' Her shocked brain struggled to inform her.

"**Are you alright, my dear?" **Through the light of the halo, the blonde could faintly see a smile forming on his lips. **"Would you like some water, maybe an aspirin?"**

The larger woman simply nodded stupidly. Her brain felt like it was currently doing various complicated gymnastic feats inside the confines of her head, in attempts to wrap her mind around her current situation.

The strangely peaceful man did nothing but smile wider, and press the button on a small intercom. **"…Yes, could we please get a glass of water and a few aspirin tablets in here for our guest? …Thank you."**

Ashley sat almost frighteningly still in the office chair, her eyes slowly moving around the room. The man in white simply continued to smile serenely, his head propped up comfortably on one of his hands.

It felt like an eternity passed… But in reality, it was probably only five or maybe ten minutes.

The click of a door knob from somewhere behind her made the blonde jump, and snap her head towards the noise. She was certainly acting skittish, her hands trembling as she sat in the office chair in nothing more than a nightgown.

A gorgeous woman with a stylish mop of bright red hair happily strolled into the white office. Warm sapphire eyes regarded the blonde woman with a pleasant mixture of love and sympathy as she handed over a glass of water and two aspirin tablets.

The blonde downed them without a thought, and seemed to calm down somewhat.

"Poor thing, I guess she's a little shocked." She looked up to the smiling man in white. "Never easy for you to meet new people, is it?" She teased, flipping a few strands of red hair over her shoulder.

With that, the redhead cheerfully ruffled the blondes already mussed up locks and practically skipped out of the room.

Still in a light state of shock, the larger woman turned and slowly waved goodbye to the happy redhead. Before the cheerful woman reached the door, Ashley couldn't help but notice the tiny pair of white… _wings_… growing out of the woman's back.

She turned back towards the desk, a nervous smile forming on her lips. She took a few slow, calming breathes… After a moment or so, she lifted her face high enough to look into the man's face.

"I… You…" She tried talking, but the rest of what she wanted to say just couldn't make it past the tip of her tongue.

"**Yes."**

She twitched slightly. _'…I think that I just swore… In front of…'_

"**God, yes. …My, you are certainly catching on quick." **The serene grin never left his face, his eyes closed in what appeared to be happiness.

She gaped, her mouth hanging slightly open.

"You're… God?

The man nodded once more for confirmation, and Ashley smiled at him.

Less than three seconds later, her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed out of her chair in a dead faint.

He blinked down at the unconscious woman currently face down on the plush carpeting of his office. **"That went rather well." **Smiling to himself, he pressed the button on the intercom.

"**She seems to have decided to take a rather unexpected nap. Could you prepare something for her until she wakes up? …And no, it wasn't my fault. She's just tired." **Releasing the button, he glanced down once more.

"…**I think."**

* * *

"**Rise and shine, little one."**

"Mmmm…"

"Is she awake?"

"…Five more minutes, Mom... I swear…"

Laughter.

At the sound, the large woman sprung up wide awake. Her eyes darting around the room, and her arms held in what may have been meant as an attack stance.

"…**Are you feeling any better now?"**

"Uh… Yeah." She cleared her throat, her face flushing in embarrassment. "I mean… Yes, I'm feeling much better now, thank you."

The beautiful red haired woman calmly held up yet another glass of water. "Here, have a drink."

Carefully accepting the glass, she smiled nervously at the woman. "Oh, thank you miss…?" She took a few small sips from the cup.

The woman merely giggled and looked toward the man in white, the small wings on her back lightly fluttering from her laughter.

"**I think that you may know her better as Ranko."**

It took all of her willpower to not choke on her drink and spray water everywhere.

Coughing lightly, the blond managed to stutter out, "R-Ranko?" She finally cleared her throat. "H-how…? How is that.."

"**Ranko was to be reincarnated." **The man in white sighed. **"Ranma, as you now know him, was in fact originally intended to be a girl…. Ranko's new body."**

"I-is this true..?" Ashley suddenly turned bright red, "No-not to be disrespectful to you, Your Holiness."

He smiled lightly, **"Yes, it is true. But…"**

Ranko fidgeted slightly where she was standing. "It's my fault." She looked towards the ground, obviously ashamed of her actions.

"It's just… I had seen how much Ranma's current parents had wanted a boy. Someone to carry on the family name and art. Genma also needed a son to fulfil his promise to Soun Tendo, after all."

"**Nodoka wouldn't have cared what gender the baby was. …She just wanted to be a mother."**

Ranko lifted her gaze slightly, a soft smile coming to her face as she thought of the older woman. "She wanted her husband to be happy. She prayed, hoped, and wished every single night of her pregnancy."

"So, I... I let a new soul step in." She closed her eyes, her face quickly morphing into a look of disappointment at her own actions. "But… I did it without the Lord's permission and blessings."

He placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder, the glowing light surrounding him brightening for a few moments. **"You have been forgiven many times over child. What you did was done with nothing but good in mind."**

"…The road to Hell is often paved by good intentions."

The light dimmed slightly and Ashley quickly slapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes widening in shock. "I-I'm sorry! It just slipped out…"

"**In this case… You may be right."**

"W-what?"

"Without the blessing…" Ranko looked to Him, a small frown on her face.

"**Tell me child, have you ever noticed how bad Ranma's luck is?"**

Ashley fidgeted a little, playing with the bottom of her nightgown. "Well, I wouldn't say _BAD_…"

"**Unfortunate, then?"**

"Yeah, I guess. Trouble does… Well, it seems to follow him. I mean really, the odds of some of the things that happen to him… It should be impossible." She raised an eyebrow as she thought of everything that she had seen in the Ranma ½ series.

The man sighed, shaking his head sadly. "Ranma is a chaos magnet. The biggest that the universe has ever seen. We, even here in heaven, are unable to predict his present day actions. There is a brief idea of what his future will be… And even that is undecided."

Ranko smiled weakly, looking over towards the large blonde. "Now that you have arrived in his universe, we have been able to get a slightly clearer …_picture…_ of him."

"It was the chaos magnet that decided that he would crash into that particular tree, wasn't it?"

He smiled, **"Yes. It appears that as long as you are with him, we will be able to monitor him."**

**"You can help make sure that his life doesn't stray too far from the original storyline… Maybe you will be able to help the other residents of Nerima as well."**

Ashley frowned lightly, tilting her head slightly to the side in a confused manner. "But... How? How am I helping him?"

**"Being a chaos magnet, anything having to do with Ranma brings all sorts of insanity. Nerima was actually a relatively normal place before Soun Tendo decided to move into it."**

"Now that Ranma is actually there in the flesh, his 'condition' has been slowly contaminating everyone." Ranko quietly ran her hand through her hair as she spoke, obviously feeling much better.

"**Though it seems that even now…" **He walked forward a step and patted the large woman on the head, almost as if she were a small child needing praise.

"**He, as well as everyone else that you have made an impact on… Have not forgotten you."**

"Forgotten me? Why would they forget me?" Her eyes suddenly widened in panic, "Wait! What… How long…"

Ranko watched sympathetically as the larger woman tried to compose herself. "…Exactly how long have I been gone?"

"I can't believe that I'm just thinking about them now! What's going on with my family? My little brother and sister, my parents!"

"**It may be for the best not--"**

"I don't care if it's for the best!" She turned to Ranko, her face lined with panic.

The petite redhead looked around nervously, her eyes darting from the man to the practically hyperventilating woman in front of her. "I-I…" She looked down, "It's been almost a full year. …I'm sorry, Ashley."

"A-a year?! I was only in the Ranmaverse for a few months at most… How could…"

"**The times between different dimensions never pass by in the same way. A month in one dimension could be years, or even decades in another."**

Her eyes watered, and she shook her head. "And no one thought about contacting me to tell me of this?"

She stared into the bright halo, obviously restraining herself. "Am I not able to go see my family?"

"**It's best not to talk about this now, Ashley. You have places to go, and more people to meet. Your journey is far from over."**

He waved his hand, and the large woman's nightgown instantly morphed into a simple pair of white jeans and a t-shirt. A pair of white sandals and a black shoulder bag appeared in her hands.

Clearly getting the message that she had overstayed her welcome, she threw the strap over her shoulder and slipped on the sandals.

Swiftly wiping the tears from her eyes, she tried her best not to glare at the deity before her.

A soft tap on her shoulder caused the blonde to turn and glare at the small red haired woman. "What?"

Ignoring the glare, Ranko pushed a beautiful white feather into her hands. It lingered there for a moment before disappearing into the almost forgotten ring on her finger.

"Take this. …You'll know what to do with it when the time is right."

Ashley turned away without even a whisper of thanks, eyeing the man in white with a displeased expression. "…Why are you hiding this from me? Can't you tell me about them?"

The man waved his hand once more and a luminous doorway appeared. Ranko stepped forward and opened it, revealing the swirling vortex behind it.

"**All will be revealed in time, my dear." **He smiled gently, reaching out to lightly pat her shoulder.

Ashley stood still for a moment or two, slowly gazing back and forth between Ranko and the face of the man in white. With a great sigh, she nodded and passed through the vortex.

* * *

Ranko looked sadly towards the open doorway, lightly worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. She carefully closed the door and turned away as it vanished in a flash of light.

The man in white walked back to his desk and sat down in the large cushioned office chair. He rested his chin on his hand and heaved a sigh.

**"…You may send him in now."**

The petite woman gave a slight shiver, but nodded and swiftly fled the office.

"_**Now, now… I do not think that was entirely fair."**_ A dark voice whispered, as a large shadow slipped underneath of the office door. It lingered at the doorway for a moment before darting towards the desk.

"**It is what must be done. …It is for the best."**

The shadow expanded, slowly forming into a tall figure wearing a finely pressed suit and a wide brimmed hat.

"_**So you **__**say**__**."**_ Bat like wings wrapped around his shoulders like a magnificent cape, and a large fanged smile peered out at the man in white from the darkness of his face.

"**What is it that you want, ****Mephistopheles?"**

The demonic man almost seemed to flinch for a moment, before his grin widened to inhuman proportions. _**"Are you still unable to even speak my name, O Holy Father? You created me, after all…"**_

"**You created yourself creature. You are not as you were, and you never shall be again."**

**"What brings you here? Why do you come to where you are forbidden?"** The man in white glowed brightly, his face a perfect mask of calm.

"_**Oh, how you wound me. You knew the beginning could never last… Nothing can live without both darkness and light."**_ The figure chuckled, a frighteningly wicked sound.

_**"You know why I am here. Yet… You whisked her off before I was even able to say hello."**_ His voice dropped to a deep murmur. _**"Why is that, I wonder?"**_

The man in white was silent.

"_**Are you worried, perhaps? Worried that I may be able to… Convince her?"**_ The voice turned seductively dark, and for a moment golden eyes flashed into a glare.

"_**She is **__**balanced**__**. She will never be completely one of ours. …That makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it?"**_ He leaned forward onto the desk, pale face sly and playful.

_**"You are greedy, O Lord. You want every single soul alllllllllllll to yourself. All bask in the glory of God! Hallelujah!"**_

The glowing man sighed. **"You have not changed from your childish ways."** A small smile slowly formed on his face. **"I highly doubt that you ever will."**

"_**Two sides of the same coin, my friend."**_ Ever-smirking, the figure stood up from the office chair, and turned to walk away from the desk.

"_**That was very, very unsportsmanlike of you. Ushering her out without letting me meet her."**_

He preened, the wide smile returning. _**"She would have liked me, you know. I would have behaved…"**_

The man in white leaned back in his chair, **"You would have behaved like yourself. …We wouldn't have gotten anywhere with you around."**

The dark figure gave a graceful sweeping bow, _**"O Lord, you know me far too well."**_ With that, he slowly sunk back into his own shadow and began to disappear.

"_**If I wish to see her for myself, I have my own… Ways…"**_

The words echoed about the office for a few seconds after his departure. The man in white shook his head, and pressed a button on his intercom.

**"Yes, Ranko? Could you come in here? …No, it's not that**." He sighed.

"**I think he may have singed the carpet again…"**

* * *

_A NOTE TO ALL READERS:_

_Hehe, well.. I've been pretty busy. I screwed up pretty badly in school, and I am now stuck waiting another year to graduate._

_...It's a long story. But, I will be updating soon. Hopefully everyone will be able to forgive me. --Ashley_

Review count is at… Holy crap, 79! Seventy-NINE?

…Wow. Almost at 80, everyone!

Aaaaannnd… Drum roll please!!

The hits are at… 5297!

Thank you all so much for enjoying the story, hopefully everyone will enjoy this chapter and review. Because I like reviews.

They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

...

**What did you think of it, anyway? **

**Good? **

**Bad? **

**Holy-shit-learn-how-to-freaking-type?**

**Review and tell me! **

**Luv,**

**Shifta Shi-Chan(aka Ashley)**

**xoxoxo**


End file.
